Living the Numbers

I have always had a facility for remembering numbers. Although, these days when people have more than one phone number, and we may have several pin numbers floating in our head, that ability has been challenged. And yet, I find the statistics of this war are carried in my head.

At any point in time, if the subject of this project comes up, I find the current toll is right at the top of my head. Yesterday, as I heard the radio in the background, they were discussing the deaths of two contractors. Immediately I found myself doing the math...450.

How many, or perhaps I should say, how few of us realize just how many people are dying each and every day in Iraq. The Iraq Body Count, a fairly conservative estimate of the Iraqis that have died is over 100,000 now. We have hit the nice round number of 4300 American soldiers.

But, all of these facts don't have the impact for me that seeing all the cranes collecting in my basement, or the bags and boxes of waxed paper cranes. And, I have a long way to go still.

This Memorial Day weekend, if you can, find out about one person who died in Iraq, if you don't know anyone. There is plenty of information on line. Join their families and friends, and have that person on your mind this weekend. Make their spirit precious to you for a day. You will be living what Memorial Day weekend was meant to be. Not about picnics, and sales. Those things will happen regardless. But along side them, especially while we are at war in two countries, we need to remember and honor.