A Letter to the Parents of Jacob Hall

Dear Rodger & Renae,

You don't know me but the tragic events and the media attention your family has received from it has brought you into the hearts and minds of every American in the past week.

The reason I'm reaching out to you is this: yesterday I had outpatient surgery and up until midnight  I had no pain. I just slept a lot. But then as I laid in bed last night, with the pain getting stronger and stronger, tears starting to form in the corners of my eyes, I grabbed my phone and got on Facebook because I thought that if I could distract myself, maybe I could fall asleep. My newsfeed was filled with stories about police departments, schools and businesses wearing their superhero shirts to support your family today as you lay that sweet little man to rest. And that is when it hit me. My pain from my surgery is going to go away, but that ache in your heart for Jacob won't. I felt so foolish for even posting in my statuses this morning at 3 am that I was in some pain. The tears flowed harder.

Not to liken people to animals but once I had a cat who gave birth to a litter of 8 kittens. I thought that was a really big litter of kittens because the litters she had given birth to before were usually of about 4 kittens. In that big litter of 8 kittens, one passed away. She searched for that kitten for several days. She actually mourned for that kitten. Now, like I said, I'm not comparing you guys to animals but my point here is that no matter how many children you have, when one is no longer there, you're incomplete.

I can't imagine what you're going through right now.The closest to your pain that I've came to is when my cousin's daughter was murdered. She was like my daughter's sister and spent a lot of time in my house. I know it's not the same. From the bottom of my heart, I want you to know that me and my family have you in our thoughts and prayers and we're sending our love to you from Whitmire, SC.

Love,

Andrea Crosby & Family