Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Her Name is Lauren McCain

I didn't know her. Her name is Lauren McCain and that beautiful smile belongs to the cousin of a friend of mine. A monster (who shall remain nameless on this blog) bought his celebrity with her life and 31 others. His picture will be shown on the news long after hers. His name will be remembered by the world long after hers. He should be punished with anonymity. She should not. Her name is Lauren McCain. Her family is from Oklahoma.

ADDENDUM (4/23/07): I didn't know a thing about Lauren McCain when I posted this picture. Now I do. I've never met Lauren or her family (other than her distant cousin who attends church with me) but reading about Lauren is like seeing the sunlight break through a whirlwind. When her family's pain becomes less unspeakable, someone will write a book about Lauren. I wish them luck trying to explain what beauty is. She was extraordinary. EXTRAORDINARY. I have no doubt Lauren would have changed the world had she lived. She may change it anyway. She has left a lasting impression on it.

Sitemeter shows that dozens of people have come here in the past few days looking for information about Lauren McCain. I don't know much. But, I've wept for this girl. She would probably say, however, to weep for her killer instead. Lauren was buried yesterday (April 22, 2007) in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Guestbook in Memory of Lauren McCain
Exception to the Rule

9 comments:

Fun Joel said...

Amen. Rest in peace.

Anonymous said...

Agreed.

Unk

Suburban Screenwriter said...

Wow, MaryAn...I'm at a loss for words here but I too agree wholeheartedly. Go in peace.

Grubber said...

May she Rest in Peace and I wish her family the best in dealing with this tragedy.
sincerely,
Dave.

Steve Kelly said...

Too often, it is the names of the serial and spree killers who are remembered. Each victim is only important insofar as they count toward the overall body count. And it is the body count that decides (depending upon how slow an news day it is) whether the killings are regional, national or international in attention.

I'm all for legislating it that anyone who kills more than one person, the killer's name is never written or spoken aloud, save in court documents.

I cannot imagine the gut-ripping horror that friends and relatives of the many victims are experiencing. May the killer's name be forgotten. Mental illness notwithstanding, nothing about his life deserves "celebration".

ASA said...

Beautifully said, MaryAn. Thank you...

Emily Blake said...

You should check out this post. It's a beautiful eulogy for another girl as we know her through Myspace:

deusexmalcontent.blogspot.com/
2007/04/and-all-that-could-have-been

Anonymous said...

I honestly think Lauren's legacy will live on forever!!!

She is an inspiration beyong words!

http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-now-mccain.my31,0,4114771.story

MaryAn Batchellor said...

Thank you, anon. Now I have to go do VBS this morning with puffy eyes... Seriously, though. Thank you.