Sunday, January 01, 2006

Missing Monday

I am sorry to report that a woman previously profiled in a Missing Monday post, Wilma Robertson, has been found deceased.

We tend to think that missing people and potential abductions are a relatively new phenomenon. I can tell you they are not. For example, this young woman disappeared in 1975. For 30 years her family has not known what happened to her.

Since this is the start of a new year, I want to ask anyone reading this who has, for whatever reason, walked away from family and friends who may not know where you are or what happened to you, to please give them some peace of mind and let them know how you are. If you think there are some hard feelings, you can drop an anonymous postcard so there is no direct contact. Have a friend mail it form another city so your exact location remains vague. But, please, get in touch.

Someone I care for fell out of communication at one point. She was living a marginal existence at the time and the worst was feared. Business travel took me to the city she had been living in and I spent a few memorable afternoons trolling strip clubs looking for her. I saw more than one family group in the same area posting "missing" posters for their loved one. (There are many interesting details here but it is a story for another time.) I did not find my lost lamb but must have gotten close as she re-established contact. It is not all we would want but someone hears from her fairly regularly.

Call. Leave a message. Send a card. Contact a third party and ask them to pass a message along. Please do something. Maybe things have changed. Maybe they haven't. All you can do is reach out, one more time.

No comments: