Lessons from the Past

In my internet travels, I happened upon a website that reminded me of a girl I knew in high school. When I was a sophomore, she was a freshman. She was on course to be one of the most popular girls in school. That summer she was hanging out with all the right people, going to all the right places, she tried out and made the JV cheerleading squad, she was beautiful and more than all else, she was the sweetest girl. It seemed everyone loved her.

Her name was Jennifer Iverson and 19 years ago this past October, she died after being hit by a car. Her death had a profound impact on my life. She spent a week in the hospital before her death. I remember that week being filled with rumors about her condition. No one, it seemed, had any real answers about how she was until we got word that she was gone. She was 13 years old. Her funeral was held at a large church in Windemere and it was packed. The number of lives that she had touched in her brief life was astounding. But today, I could find nothing about the accident except her obituary in the Orlando Sentinel archives. It wasn't a time of extreme media coverage and it was before the internet. Never the less, I was sad.

So I pulled out old pictures. I remember that I had one of her. I didn't find it. And I can't remember what she looked like anymore. As I was looking, I found pictures of my own children. My daughter is the same age Jenny was at her death. I felt a connection to Jenny's mom that I have never felt before. Every picture I get of Autumn from here on out is more than Jenny's mom has of her. Lord, let me understand the privilege that is mine as Autumn's mother. Let me never forget the reality that I am blessed.

I don't know what ever happened to Jenny's parents. I found her sister Krissy on Facebook. I wanted to send a friend request but I didn't. I know Krissy doesn't remember me. I never even went to Jenny's house. I met her parents for the first time after her death.

In my search, I found an article that Krissy contributed to in 1994. She said, " After my family and I lost my sister, I think it brought us closer to God. He allowed us to turn our mourning into joy. When you're here on Earth, we all have a lot of struggles and hard times, but they make us stronger. I look at it as a race; they only made it to the finish line before you did." A testament to their faith. I don't know where they are, but I am thinking about them and praying for them tonight. My reflection has made me appreciate my kids a little more today. Thank you God for Jenny, for her impact on my life and thank you for bringing her to mind today.