Beyond senseless

Aaliyah Boyer was 10 when she died on Thursday.  She was the little girl we talked about the other day; she was shot by a stray celebratory bullet fired by some cretin on New Year's Eve in Elkton.  By Wednesday, while she was still on life support in a hospital, a brain scan told doctors that there was no hope for her to survive; life support was removed and she passed away on Thursday.

Aaliyah and her family had been in Maryland for the holidays, leaving their home in Delaware.  While they were down here dealing with this tragedy, another person broke into that home, stealing all their Christmas gifts, including three new iPads, and the childrens' clothing.

As Aaliyah left our earth for her new heavenly home, she left behind vital organs:  her heart, kidney, lungs and liver were harvested to be transplanted to others in need.  She had noticed that her parents' drivers' licenses declared them to be organ donors, and Aaliyah wanted to donate as well.

Aaliyah Boyer

We never count on a ten year "little princess" (as her family called her) who loved Hannah Montana and Justin Bieber being an organ donor so young.  The person who so thoughtlessly fired that gun the other night did not, most likely, count on his (or her) bullet doing murder.  And probably, the thieves who broke into the family home did not know of the pall already hanging over its residents when they jimmied the door and stole toys and t-shirts.

From all this, I take two thoughts:  there is evil in the world and it must be overpowered by love.  Call me an idealist.

And it also reminds me that we need to remember that our actions have consequences that often lie far beyond what we can see from where we stand. 

I wish that Aaliyah may rest in peace, and that her family will know peace and better days as they face the future with thoughts of the past, and how the future might have been.

The shooter, and the thief, have themselves to face.