Remember People Who Passed On
My friend lost her daughter years ago in a drunk driving accident, at a pre-graduation party, senior year of High School. She was graduating with honors; a bright girl who made one fatal mistake. She got into a car with a drunk driver. She herself was drunk.
Every year, my friend sends out a holiday card. For a couple of years after the tragedy, she didn’t write anything about Amanda, her daughter. I know that feeling is one thing, but finding the words is quite another. I wrote to her saying that I thought she needed to mention Amanda because it’s a family letter, and I wanted to remember her and felt saddened that she wasn’t mentioned. It was bold of me, no doubt. But, if I felt that way, I’m sure others did, too. Perhaps, because we aren’t very close friends, I was able to say it and take the risk of hurting or losing a friend.
Now, every year, there is mention of Amanda. She writes about the scholarship in her memory. She writes about what she and her husband do to raise awareness about drunk driving to high school students and how it helps them to keep her memory alive.
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