Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Heartbreak

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Shadow Hills High School lost a student, a classmate, a friend.  A family lost a son, a brother.  The last few days have been difficult...trying to accept why and how this happened.  It has been heartbreaking to read the Twitter and Facebook posts about how people are feeling and reacting to Victor's passing.  Clearly loved by and touched so many.  I didn't know him, but seeing his picture, I recognize him from the school. 

A few kids, including my own, posted a comment about hoping this was a wake-up call for us.  And although some did not want to hear this, it should truly be a wake up call.  We are not invincible.  So many kids think they are.  Victor's last tweet before the accident--"We drunk driving"-- was bone chilling.  And if this doesn't hit everyone like a ton of bricks, I don't know what will. 

I had a friend in high school who lost a sister to a drunk driver.  And an ex-boyfriend of mine whom I dated for two years was killed in a motorcycle accident--he was drunk and was driving.  He had two prior DUIs. 

As I told my girls, we can only control what we do---our own actions, our own choices.  We can't control what other people do.  We need to go out and make smart decisions and choices everyday in this life.  We are responsible for this.  What I pray for each and every day is that my loved ones do not fall victim to someone else's poor judgment. 

I stressed to them...I would much rather get a call at 2:00 am from one of them asking me to come pick them up than get a call at 4:00 am from the police or the hospital. 

Oddly, just last week, Chandler hugged me tight before I left the house to take Rylee to cheer.  She said she worried all the time that something would happen to one of us when we left the house and she would never see us again.  We had a conversation about that...why it is so important to live each day being loving and giving and doing good things.  But, we can't worry ourselves about what we can't control. 

I pray for ALL the families involved.  Everyone's lives are forever changed by this tragedy. 

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