This poem was written about one of the most tragic experiences I have been through in my life. In 2007, I was a senior in high school. I was experiencing the normal teenage struggles all teens go through and then tragedy struck in my home town. A group of cheerleaders had a car accident and three of the seven in the car passed away. I will never forget the call I got from a friend from work in the middle of the night. All he said was there was a wreck and three girls were dead, not knowing who. I cheered with these girls for several years in the past. All the memories just flooded my mind thinking for sure he is wrong. There is no way a perfect 17 year old girl can be finished with life before experiencing children, college, marriage. My mind could not wrap my head around the idea. I woke my sister up that night, and we sat on the bed and cried til the sun came up. Just cried as we pondered memories and tried to understand the shock. We had never dealt with the loss of young life. Unexpected loss of young life at that.
Her smile was beautiful and so was her personality as well. I can not tell you how many times this girl made me laugh with her crazy ways and her uplifting spirits. She was my butterfly when I cheered one year and me and Elizabeth could barely hold her up for laughing sometimes. She was good at everything she attempted, I'm not gonna lie, I was jealous of her, for she was beautiful. I think a lot of people were. I still see her in my mind today. Such a beautiful soul. I remember the last time I saw her she was tying her shoe as I dropped my sister off at basketball practice. You never know what life holds. Courtney, you are missed.
They were so cute with beautiful smiles. Best friends to my little sister Melissa, regulars over the years at spend the nights at the house. I watched them grow up. I watched Whitney run her fingers through her hair as she smiled. I watched Sarah as she laughed. I watched Whitney's mama lift her hands and praise God at their funeral in our high school gym. She will never know how much that impacted me, and still does. Such a bold declaration of faith and dependence in our God.
Sarah and Whitney, you all are missed.
When we graduated we were all given a wooden cross on a string to remember these girls. It still hangs on my mirror in my car today and it will til it falls apart. They still inspire me to live to the fullest, not taking time for granted, as it is out of our control.
The Lord,
like a thief in the night you came,
a coming that would change,
everything here.
No.
Not us.
Not them.
The faces seen in our day to day routine,
of souls so clean,
unfair it seems to them.
Tears.
that run with a memory,
laughter follows behind closely.
Smiles so lovely and beautiful,
what a sudden impact.
A piece of our lives removed,
gone away,
If only we could have yall to hold for one more day.
Everybody has become one,
we share the pain that leaves us numb.
We miss you all.