[wglass]

It’s an odd situation when an acquaintance dies. It affects you but it can also feel like you don’t have a right to grieve compared to those who knew them closely.

Some years ago a neighbor of mine was hit by a light rail train after darting across the street, biking during his lunch break at work. I’d talked to him for a couple minutes almost every day for two years in the parking lot while he worked on his car or arrived home from work. Just like that he was gone. I have a vivid memory of a neighbor sharing the news. We went to his funeral. His parents and young wife were devastated of course. It was so unexpected. Thought about him for years afterwards.