Tragedy

I was supposed to post today about how wonderful Hawaii was and how great I feel. I'd throw in a few pictures and everyone would be jealous. Then the phone rang.

I was super excited because I had not talked to Kate, my best friend from college, in ages. She really isn't a big phone talker and we have both been very busy lately. It didn't even cross my mind that something could be wrong... until I heard her voice.

Her 26 year-old sister, Jill, had died. Not just died, but was murdered in her apartment. I tried to be a strong friend, but I couldn't hold the tears in. Murder. What an awful word. I really can't even comprehend it right now. I am in the middle of scanning in pictures from our drive out to Seattle over 6 years ago. I was going to put together a cd for Kate for Christmas. Kate and I took the 11 day cross country road trip with her 2 sisters. There are so many pictures of the 3 of them together. We had so many laughs that trip. Jill was a junior in college then, and I remember her telling us how she really just wished she could major in her sorority because classes totally cramped her social life. While still a social vixen, she worked for a non-profit and was making a difference in this world. It is so sad to see her life cut short so tragically.

I had the task of calling each of our good friends from college and relaying the bad news. I hadn't talked to some of these girls in months and it was horrible to have to call in these circumstances. I've broken the news and talked about it over and over again, but it still hasn't sunk in.

Kate hadn't spoken to her sister in awhile and the anguish of it was evident in her voice. I called my brother today. Not just to tell him how much I missed him or loved him or anything, but mainly to say hi and see what was happening in his world. Because obviously things change quickly in this world and the unexpected happens. You can never be prepared for something like this, but you can always take the time to reach out to those who are important to you.