My 10-year old cried Saturday morning as he and I and several others stood alongside Route 20 in Sudbury and watched as Lt. Scott Milley was brought out of Duckett's Funeral home and place with utmost care into the hearse. Military personnel surrounded the vehicle, and a group of motorcyclists lined the circle of the funeral home, saluting this young man who life was lost on Nov. 30th in Afghanistan. We watched in silence as the funeral procession began, and my son clutched a yellow ribbon in his hand.
My son's tears were born of compassion - such an amazing quality for a young boy to display. Compassion for the brothers and sisters of Lt. Scott Milley, compassion for Lt. Scott Milley's parents, his friends, all the military personnel, everyone whose lives this brave young man touched in such a short time.
It is indeed a true human being with a good heart who can step outside of his/her life - no matter how difficult the turmoil one may be experiencing at that moment - and take a look at someone else's life and feel heartache, sadness and compassion for those people who are suffering far, far more than they.
My son and I did just that Saturday morning. I cried as a mother because it is unfathomable to me the grief the Milley family is experiencing right now. Lt. Milley - in life and death - touched thousands of people - including ours because my son and I have resided in Sudbury for 7 1/2 years and felt the right thing to do was to stand where we stood, with our hands over our hearts and pay our last respects to a young man we did not know personally, but who we came to know through friends, through news stories, through pictures. We are a part of this town and the show of support, love, encouragement and faith of the residents in Sudbury for the Milley family has been overwhelming and astounding.
All of us at one time or another should step back and just for a few minutes - look around and see that while our worlds are being turned upside down - perhaps someone elses's has been broken apart in pieces and is is far worse than ours, and if we can find it in our hearts to show a little bit of compassion, perhaps we will have a better understanding that we all deal with our own difficulties, but for parents to lose a child - I believe that is the most difficult, heartbreaking and heartwrenching situation to deal with above all else.
Rest in peace, Lt. Scott Milley. God has an amazing protector for Heaven. I hope someday to meet you - not only to say thank you for protecting my son and I's freedom - but for being such a big part of so many lives in such a short time.
You touched mine and my son's from afar, and I am sure there are many others who will echo that same sentiment.
You will be so missed and loved by so many forever.
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