As all should now be aware, an extremely unfortunate tragedy happened today just after midnight. A shooting during the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in a Colorado theater has left 12 dead and 59 injured. According to ABC News, the number of victims makes this the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.

As a naturally curious individual, I often find myself looking at others and thinking, “what’s his story,” “I wonder if those two are in love” and “I bet she does this for a living”… and thoughts of similar sorts. I’m easily intrigued by the mysteries of others. Today was no exception to that when I walked in to work and heard about the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado.

I wanted to know who the victims were, who they were at the movie with, if they were die-hard Batman fans, what was going through their minds during the last few seconds of their life, and most importantly, what kind of impact they left on the lives of those who knew them. I wanted to know it all. And one woman’s story surfaced through some office-talk and social media searching – Jessica Ghawi, known professionally as Jessica Redfield.

An aspiring sportscaster, Jessica dodged the midst of the gunfire at the Eaton Center in Toronto back in June… you can read her intuitive recap on her personal blog , here is an excerpt: 

“I was reminded that we don’t know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath. I wish I could shake this odd feeling from my chest…The feeling that may have potentially saved my life.”

Not even two months later, she fell victim to the shooting in Aurora, Colorado. Articles, Twitter mentions, and discussions of all kinds are rapidly surfacing via the Internet about what an advantageous personality and spunky attitude Jessica had.

Was it coincidence that she escaped the shooting at the Eaton Center and soon after was then so unfortunately placed in the wrong situation at the wrong time? No one knows. And that’s just the thing, you never know. You don’t know another person’s story. Similarly, you may never know how long you have left, when tragedy will strike, when a loved one will be taken away… it’s all out of our hands.

Some people are scared by this, they let the fear of the uncontrollable dictate their actions. But you cannot live this way. Life throws us unfair and unexplainable curve balls that we may not always be able to dodge. You just have to appreciate each person, opportunity, and stroke of luck that is sent your way, and not worry about the possibility of an unfortunate circumstance unless absolutely necessary.

My thoughts and prayers go out to each and every individual that has been affected by the Colorado shooting, for each of these individuals has a story that may never be told.

Make sure you tell those you care about how much you love them.