The Kind of Anniversary You Don't Want... Canadian Woman Still Missing in Syria

So, a year ago, I posted about this woman, Nicole Vienneau who went missing in Syria on a solo trip through the Middle East. As far as I can tell, she has never been found. This is one family that lacks closure. Unlike Rachel Corrie, another young lady from North America who came to the region and never went home, Nicole's whereabouts are unknown. One morning she left her hotel en route to a nearby tourist destination. She never made it there. The hotel worried when she didn't come back for her things. Her parents and brothers made numerous trip to Syria to try and help spur along the investigation. Nothing was found.

Nicole had simply vanished. And today marks two years with no word, two years of worry, two years up-in-the-air. By this time, I'm sure that Nicole's family has begun to move on, put their lives back together, and live again. But, how can you ever really move on? How can you feel closure that she isn't coming back? How can you get past the hope that she's fine and for some reason just hasn't called?

As I mentioned last year, this story brought home to me how difficult it must be to be the family left behind. When Moms send their kids off to college abroad, the worry they must face. This is the worst of the worst to me. The not knowing, the never being able to move on, the sheer lack of information. Here's hoping that Nicole's family will not face another year without knowing what happened to her...

Sad Anniversaries!