15. An Unlikely Angel

There is tragedy in everyone's life. Things people should never have to go through, such as death of family and friends, accidents, misunderstandings, illnesses; the list goes on and on. And though these things shouldn't have to happen to anyone, a quick survey of your peers will show that tragedy has touched almost everyone's life. A few weeks ago, my hometown was rocked with the news of one of these tragedies. Parker Moore, football captain, RA, leader, and friend of almost all who knew him was taken from us. While filling gas at a 7-11 next to his school, a man stabbed him repeatedly, then ran. When police arrived on the scene, the man returned, trying to attack the police, when he was shot to death. The police have been able to find no ties to between the two, and have deemed this to be a freak incident. Though we don't know all of the facts, what we do know is that a Child of God was taken from us. Parker was not a perfect person, but he did have a good head on his shoulders. As my older neighbor, Parker was somewhat of a role model to me. I was always a little jealous of his way of always getting people to like him. Through observation, I have seen that the this attraction people had towards him stemmed from his kindness. Parker was popular, yet it seemed that he went out of his way to befriend everyone he encountered. His short time on this earth touched the lives of hundreds. Thank you Parker for what you did for me.