I’ve been thinking a lot about fate lately, as I read about Afghanistan. About what has given me the rights and freedoms that I enjoy and what has given someone else a situation where they aren’t free.

Right now, I am thinking about the Afghan people–the people who risked their lives to keep my father and brother, U.S. soldiers, safe during their combined six years in Afghanistan. I am thinking about the girls who came from Afghanistan to attend our boarding school, and of their families. I am thinking of the people who had hope because the U.S. was there.

I don’t want to go into my personal feelings about these events, because although I think I am better informed about this specific situation than the average civilian, my voice isn’t really necessary to this conversation. But my heart breaks for the many people who are in harm’s way today, and for the foreseeable future. But I did want to say something.