ACES

This past Monday was the 10th anniversary of a pretty rough time in my life. I couldn't believe it had been 10 years since we were called back to homeroom and told of our friends' fatal commute to school that morning. I still have flashes of memories of that day. Those are the flashes that I will remember for the rest of my life. I can't remember exactly what happened and all the details of what went on. Which is the way life works; time does heal all wounds.

This year, I thought about what kinds of women they would all be now, including Kate who died 8 very short months later - on my 18th birthday, as fate would have it. Would they be married? Would they have graduate degrees? Would they have children? Nieces and nephews? Would they have had the time of their lives in college? But unfortunately they died as children. They didn't get to grow up and learn to be adults and all the joys and responsibilities that come along with it.

When Kate died, we had a Mass at school (we had already ended classes, and were just waiting for graduation) and my mother came with me - afterward she was talking about something our principal said. She had said not to worry about Kate, because she would have Erin, Colleen, and Alli waiting for her in heaven. My mother pictured the 3 girls in their NDA uniforms waiting up in heaven, high-5ing Kate when she got there. That image - of the girls all in their uniforms all together is what has stayed with me through the years.


Memories, may be beautiful and yet
What's too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So it's the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember
The way we were...