When I was in junior high, there was a kid that was a year older than me, and much bigger than everyone else. He was a typical teenage boy in that he loved to be mean to anyone who would give him the satisfaction of giving him a response. I was never a huge fan of his (I didn’t hate him, but I did do my best to avoid him,) but then one day, in the middle of summer, I got a phone call and they told me he had died. He had gone swimming in the Snake River and had gotten sucked under in the current. He was swimming next to a dam, and it was just too strong for even him, and he was a big, strong, athletic kid. When I heard the news, I went running outside and down the road and just bawled. I may not have liked him sometimes, but this just seemed unfair. I remember screaming at the heavens, “Why God?? Why did this have to happen??” It was the first time I had ever had to deal with an early and untimely death, and it was really rough on me.
Well, I just found out that a girl I used to babysit was killed this weekend, also a casualty of the Snake River. This is so hard for me–I can’t even grasp that it is right. It doesn’t feel like this could truly be happening. I went to this family’s house every day, Monday through Friday, and watched Ashley and her two older brothers, for two summers. I was a part of the family. I did dishes, laundry, cleaned, watched the kids–we would go to the park and play, we would walk back to my house and play there. We would go outside and pet the horses–Ashley loved horses and was endlessly fascinated by them, even the onrey ones. She was only 4 years old the first summer, and 5 years old the second summer, so she was still just a young kid, but boy did we all have fun together. I really loved that family.
This article here talks about trying to find her body, and not being able to. I still just can’t believe it’s true. They came to my reception when I got married, I sent them postcards when traveling over in Jerusalem–this just isn’t fair. Ashley was a good kid.
I have never been a huge fan of water. Last summer, I went floating down a fast-moving river with my family in intertubes, and I got knocked off of my intertube and couldn’t get back on. I screamed bloody murder for probably 10 minutes because I was petrified at the thought of drowning. I would hate to die of course, but for me, I have always had this especially strong fear of drowning. I’m not sure why, but that fear is very, very strong. I have never been a great swimmer, and I have no desire to change that.
This happening, two people dying from drowning in the Snake River–you may never see me in a bathing suit again. I still just cannot fully comprehend it. Ashley was so much fun, and a good person. She wasn’t perfect by any means, but I loved her a lot. Since I was at her house every day, all day long, some times she would slip up and call me Mom. She was a very special kid to me.
Anyway, thanks for listening, everyone. I just needed an outlet to talk.
Havs
Recent Comments