I remember the first case I followed like this and it was so difficult. The range of emotions was extreme. I think we interject our own feelings, our own fears, and see ourselves in that "what if" situation when we get so involved. I had to learn to step back, stay more objective, and realize that my life...while it is touched by such sorrow and sometimes such evil...is removed from what is going on here.
You can't dwell on all the missing and the dead. You can't submerse yourself in the remorse, the anger, and the injustice. You have to walk away because you need to preserve yourself for your own children, your family, and your life. So you learn to hold your children a bit tighter, to give them that extra minute of your attention, and to keep in mind how precious time really is when it is spent with those you love. You learn to live a deeper life and as Christine reminds us daily...You learn to walk in this world differently than ever before.