See this beautiful baby boy? His name is Nathaniel and he is four years old. He is the son of a childhood friend of mine...Audra Lee Britt.
Audra and I went to the same elementary school at Yokota Air Force Base in Japan. We lost touch for awhile but through the wonders of technology and Face Book we have reconnected. It's been so much fun reminiscing and getting to know each other again. She is the same person she was 20 + years ago! Still funny, witty, and quite the character. The last time we saw each other we were in the 9th grade - and our conversations probably involved boys, boys and more boys. Nowadays the conversations were more about our kids and being women in our thirty-somethings!
Last week we were hit with some tragic news. Audra and her husband were in a terrible accident. They were hit by a drunk driver who fled the scene (but was later caught). Audra's husband Reece was killed almost instantly but Audra held on in ICU in a coma.....until the evening before Easter. The Yokota High School community is still stunned, heartbroken and confused over what happened. One of our own has been taken from us. One of our own has been taken from her four year old baby boy. I can't even wrap my head around it. I look at my own girls and just want to cry for Nathaniel.
Where do we go from here? There is so much to be learned from what has happened. But what I would like to say is this; hug your family tight tonight. Spend a couple extra minutes with your kiddos. Don't just tell them you love them, SHOW them you love them. Celebrate LIFE.
We love you, Audra.
