Sad Song

It is raining. It rained yesterday too. It feels as though the mothers on this island are all crying. My daughter left to the southside with her step sister after lunch. I'll miss her, but I know she is safe.

Every year this happens. Some beautiful, bright, intelligent, young person is a casualty of the poor roads here, poor judgment and inexperienced driving. And such is so again.

http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/article_91be7dfe-93cd-11df-aefd-001cc4c002e0.html

I don't personally know the young woman, who just turned 19. My younger daughter first brought it to my attention on Sunday morning saying there was a post on her friends page who is the best friend of the 15 year old sister. Since it had not publicly been announced, my daughter thought it was very upsetting for someone to post R.I.P. when "all" that had been announced was that she was airvaced to Queens. But it didn't take long it to be sadly true.

Look at the last wall post:
Jessie Monroe Tell the cats at smokey and the bandit that im south bound and down good buddy
Saturday at 9:24pm via Mobile Web

Then look back at that article to see that just 4 hours later she was killed. I just turned on the computer a few minutes ago, checked my email and also the GardenIsland, then looked to see what might be posted. I saw this:
Julie Robbins-Monroe
Came home from seeing Rent and saw this message that night. I was going to post "be careful" to you but stopped myself because you had asked me not to post those "mom messages" on your wall.
I think of that flash of fear you must have had in that moment & it grips my heart. I was supposed to keep you safe.
Holding you when you let go, telling you it was ok. My mom message to you.
My heart, my Jessie, I love you
about an hour ago

We so much want to protect our daughters. We want to hug them whether they think we're a dork or interfering or embarrassing them, we just want to keep them close to us. They are a part of us, they were inside us from the beginning and connected. And it is so hard to let go. My heart breaks for this mother. All the other mothers here are in a state of shock still today. I don't know the mother personally, but I know several people she knows, all with children in the same age bracket.

Her younger daughter's page is particularly eerie. At about the same time as the accident, the younger daughter made a happy post about just seeing Rent. And then, dozens and dozens of condolences. I'm really not one for a sad song. But this one has really knocked me down. People are talking about it at the grocery store, which is practically across the street. There are flowers all along the roadside, right by the Market Place.


I don't have a song yet, and maybe I won't. It is raining too loud right now to try to listen to music.

.....Maybe a line from John Mayer....
Mothers be good to your daughters too.