“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Zackari.  When I sat with his wife and held her hand I could see in her eyes that her life was over.”  – Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock

Sheriff Spurlock was speaking about Gracie Parrish, the wife of  Deputy Zackari Parrish who was killed on duty in Colorado the morning of New Year’s Eve.  With all due respect to Sheriff Spurlock, and with complete understanding of the message he was trying to convey, he was wrong.  Gracie Parrish’s life is not over.  Her life will go on–without him.

Her life will go on because she has two small children to raise, as she so eloquently said at Deputy Parrish’s vigil.  Her life will go on because she is a daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, friend.  Her life will go on because she is a follower of Christ.   Her life will go on–without him.

She has work to do at home, at church, and preschool.  She has bills to pay.  She has paperwork to fill out.  She has diapers to change. She has doctor’s appointments and parent-teacher conferences to attend. Her life will go on–without him.

She has birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and holidays to celebrate.  The celebrations will never be the same.  New Year’s Eve will never again be a joyous celebration for what is to come.  New Year’s Eve will still come and go and her life will go on–without him.

She has questions to answer.  Questions from others.  Questions from her children.  Questions in her head.  She has publicity to deal with.  Reporters trying to get pictures and stories and information.  News cameras peering into the windows of her life like some sort of macabre voyeurs.  Even still, her life will go on–without him.

She has memories to cherish.  Stories to share.  Tears to cry.  Happy days to remember.  Sad days to just get through.  But, her life will go on–without him.

I  pray Gracie Parrish will go on with strength and grace.  I pray she will go on with the support of her blue family.  I pray she will do just what she said she would and honor the memory of Zack Parrish every day.  I pray she will indeed raise her children to love him.  I pray they will know the ultimate sacrifice their daddy made.

I think what Sheriff Spurlock surely meant was Gracie Parrish’s life will never be the same.