Alcohol is cunning, baffling and powerful. It can cause such great sorrow in so many lives. A mother grieves for the loss of her husband and son. Another mother grieves for the loss of her son, too.

A son who drank and faces the consequences of life in prison. We ask why it happened. The answer — alcohol. It causes blackouts and people don’t remember what horrible things they did. We can only have empathy and compassion for all whose lives were affected.

We are reminded of how important it is to make good choices. Drink responsibly, don’t drink and drive. Lock our homes, cars and gun cabinets. Keep keys in a safe place. Do the next right thing. Forgive and pray that because of this tragedy others will make a better choice when they choose to drink.

Mary R. Kruger

Austin