Not a Good Day

Today has been especially hard for our small, close-knit community.

As a teenager, I did a lot of babysitting. One of the families I babysat for had 3 girls and 1 boy. The boy, nicknamed "Jocko", was like Jekyll and Hyde. Some days, he'd be a terror, others he was sweet and adorable. Okay, most days...at least most of the days I choose to remember.

Anyway, his 20th birthday was coming up in July. He'll never see it.

His family's home caught on fire early this morning. His parents and sisters all escaped. Nobody knows why Jocko didn't leave the house. I'm hoping he was asleep, because thinking otherwise will give me nightmares for the rest of my life. His father ran back into the burning home to try and find him. He came back out on fire himself, unable to save his son.

We lost Jocko and his dad has been sent to Seattle with multiple 3rd degree burns. His youngest sister is just a freshman in high school.