Yesterday while walking our dog Dom and I came across a memorial at a tree for a girl named Tori Reiss. When we got home we looked her up online and found an article about her. She's a 19 year old girl home from college for summer. The article suggests there may have been alcohol involved in the accident. The driver is only a 17 year old boy. I know that this is a tragic story told much too often. Many of us hear these stories on the news so frequently that we've become desensitized.
When Dominic and I saw that memorial only a couple blocks from our house it hit me hard. Tori is not just another teen statistic, she is someone's daughter, sister, bestfriend, or girlfriend. There's something about the wound left by a young person's death that time just doesn't heal. My heart breaks for all of Tori's loved ones. I also really feel for the 17 year old boy who will never be the same. Not even a grown up yet and his life has drastically changed.
My deepest sympathies go out to both families. I'm sorry you too were forced to join this tragic club.