Losing a friend and gaining some perspective

This weekend started off like any other. Lou graciously gave me Saturday morning to sleep in since I was (still!) sick and we had plans to get things done around the house, spend some family time together, etc. Friday afternoon we had another ultrasound and doctor's appointment and saw our little lady busily dancing around in my tummy - now 25 weeks in utero. Scott put me on two more weeks of modified bedrest as a precaution and things are moving right along. Josie has adapted to a mama that's horizontal way more than she's used to and all is well in the grand scheme of things. Truth told, I was getting a little grumpy about a week lost to both Josie & I being sick and I was starting to stress big time about facing this week (and a big work deadline on Friday). Let's just put it like this - I was *thrilled* to sleep in on Saturday morning - and made it all the way to 9am!
Little did I know, that while I was sleeping, the unthinkable happened!!! Later Saturday afternoon, while Josie was napping curled up with me on the couch, I checked my cell phone and discovered horrible news!
Lori Morris was gone - "Super Mom" by all accounts, mother to four incredible kids, the rare kind of friend who is equally dependable for trust-worthy advice and a really fun night out, and the kind of parent every teacher begs to see on the classlist each year, (I had her daughter Nicole who is now in high school as a second grader & Lori was certainly room-mom extraordinaire!). Lori's van was hit on 275 Saturday morning when a 25 year-old girl crossed the highway and hit her head-on. Lori, two of her daughters & another mother/daughter were on their way to a cheerleading competition, like so many other Saturday mornings. And, in an instant, Lori was taken from her family and friends and everything changed.
Like so many people, I was lucky to have known Lori. She was so filled with love & light and one of the most generous spirits you can imagine. She always stood out as one of those "I wanna be like that" kind of moms when I was teaching. And, when I became a mother myself, she always had the best advice. (Usually some brand of "Carri, chill out" that reminded me it was all going to be alright - whether it was potty training, starting school, etc.) And, pure and simple, Lori was just downright FUN! She brought just as much humor & silliness to everything from a parent-teacher conference to a Bachelorette party. She just loved life, and that's why this is all the more tragic.
Fortunately, the kids are healing. So many people loved Lori and I have no doubt that a huge community will step up to protect her four children. (There are already 2000 people on her memorial page on facebook!) She touched so many lives through all the volunteering in schools, cheerleading, etc that this has just sent shockwaves through so many people.
All told, it's just horrible that something so tragic has to happen to remind us all about what really is important. Suddenly, a lot of things that mattered on Friday didn't matter at all on Saturday. And every minute seems that much more precious. And fleeting. Nothing is promised. Nothing is guaranteed and we all need to move through life with more gratitude.
For me, it's about letting people know just how much I appreciate them. These last couple of years have produced some unbelievable challenges for us, and I am truly blessed to have such amazing people in my life. And this was a tragic reminder to me to let people know how much I care about them. You just never know which conversation with someone is going to be your last. The last conversation I had with Lori was about cell phone companies. I wish instead that the last thing I said to Lori was about how much I respected & valued her. So, with that, I'm facing my work week with a little less anxiety. And I'm hugging my family extra tight. I'm not worrying about the details of Thanksgiving or the two-page long to-do list because none of it really matters. I just hope I can hold on to these lessons for awhile, because it shouldn't take something so tragic and so severe to create this perspective.
Love you all. Thanks for sharing our lives with us.