It is good to feel something deeply. It adds perspective to my life and reminds me of the important stuff.

Two external yet personal Iraq events touched me.

I found Bob Zangas’ Journey In Iraq blog over the new year break. It wasn’t a daily read but a good site to check occassionally. I’d seen his site, read his words and seen his pictures, I was getting to know him. Tragically Bob was killed on March 10.

With the blogsphere growing exponentially, and many bloggers around the world in harms way, it was bound to happen eventually. It makes my business and legal woes seem irrelevant.

My prayers are with his family. Bob died doing what he loved and was passionate about.

The second event is more esoteric.

I don’t know if you’re a fan of Doonesbury (the comic strip won a Pulitzer Prize), but I’ve been a fan since at least 1983.

One of the two original characters is BD who’s been stationed in Iraq. Today I got an email saying “BD’s been hit in Iraq” follow the original sequence here and forward for about a week.

Sure BD is a fictional casualty but I’ve followed this strip for over 20 years. Supporting characters have died before. Divorce, AIDS, Destitution have all wreaked havoc on the cast of characters.

So when Gary Trudeau focuses on shattering loss he knows how to make you feel it.

It made me pause to consider a renewed perspective.

While Doonesbury is fiction, Trudeau eloquently says

Whether you think we belong in Iraq or not, we can’t tune it out; we have to remain mindful of the terrible losses that individual soldiers are suffering in our name.