A woman who I used to work with at GHS (she was a special ed teacher) is going through a really hard time right now. Her son was attacked in downtown Grand Rapids yesterday by a random group of people. He and his brother and friends were leaving a bar when they were approached and within a few moments it was over. The police are still trying to figure out who did this. He is in critical condition and on life-support with very little chance of survival.

I'm not quite sure how to make sense of this - I guess it isn't supposed to make sense, something so random and horrible. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now his poor mother is going through hell. I knew him a little after having him in class several times (a few years ago). He was a star athlete, funny, and handsome (and he would also accompany his mom's class to field trips, where I got to see his compassion and open-mindedness toward special needs children, unusual for most "popular" high school boys), but really I am most sad for his mom, dad, step-dad, siblings, and close friends.

We can't go through life worrying what might happen when you step out onto the sidewalk... and I know in some way this happened for a greater reason that we don't need to understand. So with little hope that this will have a happy ending, I can only pray for his family to have the strength to get through each day.