This One is Throwing Me for a Loop...

My friend Melissa at 365 Days of Exercise took the time to let us all know that Jen of Prior Fat Girl lost her mother in a freak accident yesterday. Today was the day that people all over the world were logging in to celebrate with Jen in anticipation of her achieving the milestone weight loss marker of 100 lbs. Instead, though, people were greeted by the inexplicable...shocked into stunned silence by the news of Jen's horrific loss. Jen's mother was only 49 and was killed by someone backing out of a residential driveway. Before she was hit by this driver, she was able to push the stroller carrying her infant grandchild out of the way, saving the child's life. You can read the specifics here, if you'd like. Please say a prayer for Jen and her family as they deal with this senseless accident.

This one is throwing me for a loop. Why? Because I'm responding to it as the mother. We're so busy being the strong ones...caring about babies and children, neighbors and strangers, but what if we were the ones to disappear? Responding as the mother, I think about things like: What would my children do if I were to die so suddenly? How would my husband cope? How would they all deal with the senselessness of it all? I don't know...all these thoughts are just racing around in my brain, even as I thought to tell my relatively newly driving son, "See? Terrible things happen if you don't pay attention to what you're doing when you're driving."

So, please say a prayer for Jen and her family as they grapple with the loss of their mother and grandmother in such a tragic and unanticipated way, as Jen's dad grapples with the loss of his partner of 32 years. I am just so sad. My heart goes out to them.