A Great Loss

I'm going to warn you that this post is going to be reflective and maybe even a bit sappy. Yesterday my profession lost a giant in the sudden passing of Tim Russert. I can't say I really knew him personally but I feel like I did. I'm just honored to have shared the same room with him many times in the past few years. I have also been on one or two press charters with him covering POTUS. I remember one in particular was to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina for the ever famous Jackson Square speech and he was absolutely the nicest person. We were there to cover a historic moment in a horrendous time and he did his job with utmost dignity and grace. Then we left NOLA after midnight that night and I couldn't sleep on the plane and he was the last one (besides me) to fall asleep. He was still reading and preparing for his next assignment. He was definitely a role model for all in my industry and to the rest of America as well.

I've been glued to the TV listening to his friends and colleagues talk about what a great man he was. I can hear the emotion in their voices but they have been pretty rock solid recalling their memories. But I know they are really hurting inside. I can't get enough of these great stories and memories of him and knowing that they are going through an incredibly difficult time personally, I appreciate them all the more. I have several good friends from the press corps who are NBCers and I can tell how much Tim impacted them personally. One of my friends who was on TV last night several times e-mailed me last night saying it was so hard to believe and she didn't know how they would get through it without him. But I know from experience that they will somehow get through it.

With all of this coverage, my mind goes back to two years ago when my good friend Billy passed away unexpectedly. From a heart attack at the church softball game. In fact, he and Tim were taken in the same way. From a piece of plaque blocking his heart. And they were both in the primes of their lives. At the top of their games. And they impacted peoples lives on a grand scale. When Billy died, there was obviously not this national attention but on a smaller scale, he touched many, many lives. All of his friends came together and told stories about Billy and talked about what he meant to us. I know from experience that the sudden loss is even harder to deal with because we ask why so much. Why does it seem that only the good die young? Why when he was touching so many people would God take him away?

Only after two years of being able to reflect on these questions, I think the answer might be because God is going to use this terrible event and use it for His glory. I know this is a foreign concept to most people, but already I've heard so many people talking about the level of Tim's faith and dedication to his church and just what a great person he was. If he had died after completing a full life, this coverage would not be there and this coverage that is reaching millions of people would be reduced to about a 3 minute piece on Nightly News. I know this concept doesn't make sense to those who aren't believers but it was a central point of my faith that kept me going after the loss of Billy. I think also some times these things happen to show the world that there are still good people out there that inspire people on such a deep level. He's still going to inspire people in death; perhaps even more than he was living if that is possible.

It's still such an incredibly sad and devastating event. Obviously for his family. For journalism. For his NBC family. For pretty much all of America. But to my friends at NBC and others mourning this loss, you will get through it through God's strength. I know that's what I relied on two years ago and God will be there for you as well to hold you in the palm of His hand. You won't ever forget Tim but the new normal does get better after time. Two years later, there are not many days I don't think of Billy and it doesn't ever seem quite real but then I'm reminded of Christ's love for me and how He's still right beside me and won't ever leave my side. And He'll do the same for you. I'm also praying for you because prayers are what is going to help get you through it!