The charity shop (can’t remember which one) collected LB’s belongings (the outer layer) this morning. A close encounters type mound of black bin bags and boxes of stuff heaped up in the front garden.

It was more painful than I thought it would be, given this ‘stuff’ had all been in bags for pretty much 15 months now. Pulling his well worn camouflage jacket out of one gaping bin bag, I went back inside and let Rich deal with the social niceties with Shane and his white van.

“Thanks for the donation! Much appreciated!” I heard the cheery call and slam of the van door a short while later.

My brain kind of bounced round in some kind of indescribable space while the bits left of my heart took a further pounding. Dust swirls. The pain almost too familiar now.

Within moments of Rich shutting the front door, the post arrived. A letter from Knoxville, Tennessee.

A copy of the approved resolution around what happened to LB submitted by Mark Sherry. And a letter that says it all really.

“As societies we are diminished if a tragedy like this does not spur us to do better.”

Yep. Couldn’t agree more.