FAITH, LOVE AND GRATITUDE : what I learned about the horrific death of 8 year old Leiby Kletzky

Like most New Yorkers, I was shocked and deeply saddened by the extreme death of 8 year old Leiby Kletzky. As he was walking to meet his mother, he lost his way and asked the wrong person for directions—Levi Aron allegedly killed and dismembered the boy, storing his remains in his refrigerator and disposing the rest in a nearby dumpster. Folks say it's “every parents nightmare,” but you don't have to be a parent (I'm not) to feel the impact of the brutal slaying of this innocent young boy.

This made me think: do we EVER know what's really going on with people? In the depths of their hearts, minds and souls? Their fears? The thoughts they think, the things they do in the quiet hours of the dark? Chilling.

The thing that really, really moved me, however, was the statement given by the Leiby's parents:

...we are forever grateful and thankful to Hashem (G-d). We would also like to express to each and every individual -- to our friends and neighbors and our fellow New Yorkers and to all the volunteers and to all the agencies from the local, city, state, and federal, who assisted us above and beyond physically, emotionally, and spiritually -- and to all from around the world, who had us in their thoughts and prayers.

From the depths of our mourning hearts, THANK YOU!

The fact that Nachman and Esther Kletzky would express GRATITUDE to God, friends, neighbors at such a time in their lives is a true testament of their FAITH. When I read the statement, I was stunned. It was like their hearts burst so wide open they turned inside out and the result was---gratitude. And love.

WOW.

My 83 year old grandmother died the week before little Leiby-- she was, indeed, the great love of my life! I have learned so much from Nachman and Esther and I am grateful to them for teaching me, in their simple message, the true meaning of Faith. It is perhaps the hardest thing to cultivate—the most extreme of life's human lessons—but if we can dig a little deeper past the pain and grief...

THANK YOU.

XO Tanya XO

www.butterflyrisingthemovie.com

TANYA WRIGHT plays the role of DEPUTY KENYA JONES on HBO'S TRUE BLOOD. She is the writer/director of the upcoming indie feature BUTTERFLY RISING and author of the book of the same name. Follow her on twitter @tanyaTTwright!