Last night when we came home, Chris was reading the news online and informed me that a Malaysia Airlines flight completely lost connection. The plane was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, and all signal was lost somewhere over Vietnam. The news said that 239 people were on this flight, including the flight crew. I immediately felt this sick sinking sensation in my stomach. And since then, whenever I can, I am refreshing BBC and Google News to see if there are any updates.

The news has already reported that about 80% of the passengers’ “next of kin” have been contacted. Family and friends have even gone to both locations’ airports to congregate for support and the latest news. It reminded me of when my mom told me that Ed was missing and how scared and helpless I felt. All of these people on that plane have people who love them but can’t do anything to help. And it’s just a matter of time that we find out whether they are still alive (doubtful at this point) or dead in some ocean, body of water, or forest. The pain they are feeling is something I am acutely aware of. The worst thing is when the only thing you can really do is wait – wait for news of an outcome that you have absolutely zero control over.