I had my blogs planned out for the week...What I Like Wednesday....Easter Decorations...The Joys of Spring Break...Craft Nights....I was actually composing some of them in my mind and thinking of which silly pictures to use...and then a not-so-funny thing called "LIFE" happened that made my narcissistic posts seem...well...what they actually are--pointless...
A longtime family friend passed away. All deaths are traumatic--trust me I know. I lost both parents in 17 months, and I know that we will never completely recover from that. But on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, Chris Hondros passed away while photographing civil unrest in Libya...it was a horrific event that has been broadcast all over the Internet and television since it happened...
Chris and my husband grew up together...as part of the Greek community, they had a natural bond. Chris, my husband, and their siblings and cousins were inseparable and enjoyed the innocent joys of childhood together. They played games, watched movies, and did the things that all kids like to do--be carefree and young. It was a wonderful time for them all, and it was just about as an idyllic childhood as they get..
As they grew up, they didn't get together quite so often, but their bond remained close. I met Chris when I was a student at UNC, and he and my husband were at NCSU. I immediately liked him (who didn't?), and marveled at their quick-witted conversations and bonds. Over the years, we've closely followed his career and were in awe of the images he bestowed on the world. We relished his many visits home, and I will never forget the custom tour of New York he gave us when we visited in 2006. As a born and bred Southerner, I was mesmerized by Chris's "New Yorkness," and I know that I will never be able to visit the city without thinking of him...
I have cried countless times over the past 2 days...I'm sure that the wealth of information at my fingertips has something to do with that....but I'm crying for so many reasons that they are all so hard to process..
- I'm crying for the loss of a truly compassionate and kind man that impacted so many people and touched so many lives. Chris's untimely death had a worldwide effect, and I am in awe of the outpouring of emotions from all walks of life...
- I'm crying for the loss of a true Renaissance man whose interests were so varied but were tied together seamlessly into a physically and spiritually beautiful man....
- I'm crying for a mother who has to deal with the tragic loss of a beloved first-born son...in her own words, "no mother should ever have to bury a child"...
- I'm crying for a woman that I have never met named Christina and for a future that they will never get to share...
- I'm crying for a husband that has had one more important figure from his life taken away unexpectedly...
- I'm crying for the haunting pictures that will never be taken...
- I'm crying for a community that took so much pride in their hometown boy that made it big...
- I'm crying for the millions of people suffering that will never benefit from his photographic perspective...he shed light on so many in despair...
- I'm crying for me because he had a way of conversing that made you know that he was really listening..
- I'm crying for everyone who lived their lives vicariously through him (including myself)...he did things that no no one else would/could do, regardless of the risks...
- I'm crying for humanity because his work proves that one person can make a difference...
- I'm crying for the senselessness and brutality of war...
- I'm crying for Christopher...because he is worthy of every tear that will be shed for him...
Rest in Peace Chris Hondros...you will be missed...
Good-night sweet Prince; and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest....
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