A sad good-bye

Our house has been pretty quiet the last couple of years--boys have moved out (one is back in), Christina is gone a lot of the time (school, work or friends).

There was a day when I thought I'd never have a minute to myself.

Especially Wednesday nights.

The house would start filling up after school. Holly, Christina's best friend, and her siblings Scott and Keri would come over. Mark's friends Aaron and John would often join them. Sometimes Melissa and Kendra would be here too.

And I'd feed them (usually crock pot ham--Keri loved it!) and then cram them into our conversion full-size van and we'd go off to church: Awana, youth group/confirmation. Tim was a confirmation leader, Luke was in the youth band. Christina was in elementary school and Mark was in middle school, Luke in high school. We probably had an exchange student too--Carla or Marcelo or Mai at the time.

Holly, Scott and Keri lived just a few blocks away. We'd see them often--not just on Wednesday nigihts. Holly was Christina's age, Scott was Mark's age (just one day apart for birthdays!) and Keri was close in age to Luke.

Yesterday there was a traffic accident in Crystal, the suburb next to us. It was a fatal one--two young parents were killed. They had a one-year-old child and a newborn who was born early and is still in the hospital.

The young mom was Keri. We are all in shock, trying to imagine how one so young could be gone so quickly and tragically.

We haven't been in touch with the family in a while--Keri had moved away but I guess was back in town for a year or so. Holly and Scott sometimes call Christina or Mark and swing by. I feel like a second mom to all these "Wednesday night plus" kids.

Two young men were in the back seat of the car and are in the hospital in critical condition. One of them had worked with all three of our kids at Papa John's.

Luke's been on his cell phone most of the day connecting with friends who knew the victims. It's so sad.

Please pray for all the families--for these little children who are now without parents, for grieving parents who didn't expect to outlive their children.

We hope some good may come out of this tragedy--God seems to work that way. Our hope in Him is what sustains us and others touched by hardship.

I hope Keri saw the love of God in our home and church family and somehow carried that with her through the end of her young life.

Thank you for your prayers.

Here is a link to a news story about the accident.

Till next time,


Suzi