500,000 souls lost to COVID-19

The news today reported that half-a-million Americans have died from COVID-19.

That’s more Americans dead from COVID-19 than died in WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War put together.

That’s enough dead to fill Arlington Cemetery.

Perhaps if we keep talking about the dead in terms of numerical comparisons we don’t have to feel the pain and sadness of the pandemic.

Perhaps if we focus on a headcount we don’t have to think about how our government failed to address the crisis.

But every soul lost has left an empty spot behind on the hearts of all who knew them.

No amount of counting will erase that.