a letter to Michael Schaivo

she is gone. her suffering (or total lack thereof) has ended. your suffering is probably greater now than anyone's. the politicians aren't done, but now is the time for grieving, and moving towards closure. be strong. there are those that will still speak ill of you, and will continue to sanctify your wife, but right now is your time. her parents will have their grief as well, but they are the ones who stood in the way of life. your life, ours, and hers. hers had ceased to be a life fifteen years ago; everything since has been a personal battle for you and those who would villify you. it is good that you, her husband, the man who stood by her side, even though you could no longer receive anything from her in return, were there for her in her time of dying. you were the one who chose to love her and spend your life with her. now her life is finally, completely extinguished, and the fight is over.
do not think that they are done using you. in our current state of twisted hyper-morals, there are those who still see you as a way to take the attention away from their own, far less humane and more sinister actions. there are those who will continue to use this woman, your wife, who once brought you joy, to further their own ends. they are powerful, and will likely succeed in their aims, if only because they are capable of such ethical gymnastics as would baffle the average good person. do not believe them. you are a good person. you were a loving husband, acting on your wife's wish, and as such, you deserve to be called a hero. it obviously wasn't an easy decision, as it took you ten years to make. it is the bravery that we show in making such a decision that makes heroes.
if you believe in such, believe she is in a better place. in whatever case, remember that her life has been no life at all for the last fifteen years, and that now she is at peace. though it comes from a religion to which i personally do not subscribe, there is truth in the requiem "ashes to ashes, and dust to dust." whether there is creator or a grand series of occurances that have put us here, we are all heading for where we came from.
while others use you and your suffering for their own soundbites and talking points, grieve, and remember what she was like those fifteen years ago. soon enough, time will go on, and the lawmaker/lawbreakers will have their own fresh injustices to cover afresh. you will be blessedly forgotten when the true criminals are once again swimming in their own foulness.
i don't claim to understand what you are feeling. whatever they may say, no one else understands it either. each persons grief is his or her own, and every situation is different. continue to be, and your life can continue.
know that there are those who reconize you to be the hero that you are, and may you have peace.

j m judd