Flipper and Searcher,

I, too, wanted to thank you for the beautiful way you have shared your losses with us.

Although I have never experienced the death of my child, some very close friends lost their beautiful 17 year old daughter in a car accident last year. My son, who used to baby sit for her and was like a member of the family, still can't get his mind around her being gone. He was with the family the night before the accident.

This couple are the most incerdibly giving people I've ever known. The mother stood up at the funeral and implored everyone to stop trying to place blame on the driver, who fell asleep at the wheel. You could feel the healing as she spoke. I just can't imagine myself ever having the strength to do that.

The caring and generosity of these wonderful people still resonates in this small community and beyond. Because they donated their daughters organs, several people are now alive who might not have been. They quietly donated the money to pay for the senior semi-formal at the end of the year, so that all of Laura's friends would be able to go. Somewhere in Ethiopia, a playground has been built and dedicated in her honor. I could go on, but I'm getting teary eyed already.

Like you, they have been an inspiration to me. I feel blessed to call them my friends.