The girl next door!

I can tell you exactly where I was when I heard the news. I remember all the details of that moment. And that feeling of unbelief, followed by pure sadness.

I'm sure most of us have experienced something similar to this in life. I recall my mom telling me about where she was when she learned that JFK was shot and killed and detailing that day as if it had just happened. The same applies to September 11, 2001. While those events are significant, it's the things close to home that seem to resonate within the soul.

April 3, 2014

My children sat at the bar. My oldest was working on his math homework. I was on the phone with my husband as he drove home from work. I looked out the sliding glass door as my neighbor came across the backyard, dressed in his church attire. He knocked on the door and asked me if I’d heard about next door. I said no. His response, “be prepared for a bomb!” I hushed my husband and told him he had to hear this. “Katie and Taylor were driving home from their grandpas house, they were hit and both of them were killed.” All I could say was “no!”

But IT was real. I wandered out into the backyard holding the phone but just silence echoed on the other end. I had a million thoughts going through my brain. How do we tell the kids? Maybe they already heard. What do we do? And then I began to reflect on their family.

In the weeks before the accident I started noticing our next door neighbors more. I had a strong impression to be a better neighbor be a little more friendly, more outgoing and be a little more involved with them. And although I had good intentions, things just never seemed to fall into place the way I had planned.
Now, that impression I had feels like a bad tattoo and my desire to do more for my neighbors has increased because even though they may not have known it, they have done so much for me.

Taylor was always so nice, he waved at everyone. He would stop whatever he was doing to wave. It was something I looked forward to everyday as I pulled into my driveway.  In the morning as I would leave to take my oldest to school he would wait at the edge of my driveway and make sure that all the kids waiting at the bus stop were safe. As the weather got warmer I would often hear the sound of a basketball against the cement as Taylor practiced his shooting and dribbling. My boys would run outside and my 4 year old would say “I’m going to play with my friend, Taylor.” Twelve year old Taylor would smile and wave to me and say “they can stay out here, I’ll watch them.” I would even find him assisting my little four year old to make baskets.

Katie was 16. She was really pretty and popular. You could tell she was the life of the party. My boys loved having her babysit them. We often called her over last minute to sit with the kids. She was fun and ALWAYS smiling. She was the first non-family member that we allowed to watch our baby girl. My daughter was just 5 months at the time and as a 15 year old, Katie reassured me as we went out the door that everything would be fine.

Over a year has passed since I listened to the calming words of Katie tell me that everything would be fine but, over the last month, those words have carried me through many sleepless nights. And just like I could always depend on Taylor to wave as we drove by, there is no doubt that he is still watching over my kids.

I hope that others can depend on me to reassure them in times of need.
I hope I can be more like the girl next door!