Inspired by Nora.

Too many lives are lost far too young.  They say that only the good die young, and the more I see, the more I find that statement to be true.  When Darkwing died, my heart was broken, and I was lost and absolutely unsure of what really mattered in the world when I no longer had both parents and my family was no longer whole.  With that in mind, my heart physically aches every time I hear of a friend losing one of their loved ones.

I went to elementary school with the Greene Girls when I was growing up back in Kentucky.  Mary Beth was younger than me, Nora was a couple of years older.  As is typical of kids, the older schoolmates didn't often go out of their way to socialize with the younger ones of us.  But Nora was always kind, and always chatted with me when I was one of the last ones to get picked up from school.  I still picture Nora at age 13, a smile on her face, and just being silly in front of the school building.  

I was overwhelmed with sadness the day after Christmas to read hear that Mary Beth had lost her best friend - her big sister, Nora - that day in a car accident.  She was 28 years old.

Flashing back to the here and now, I had been in a silent stand-off with my older sister since Christmas Eve night (I was being a pest, she was being cranky - which resulted in us being annoyed with each other and hardly speaking throughout Christmas Day).  As soon as I heard the news about Nora, I thought of how I would feel if I were in Mary Beth's shoes and had lost my big sister.  I'd be devastated.  I texted Laura right away to break the silence and tell her I loved her.

It's unfortunate that sometimes it takes such extreme circumstances to snap us back into being the nicest versions of ourselves.  But I wanted to share the story about Nora's death with you as a way to make her memory live on a little bit longer, and hopefully to inspire you to be the kindest and most loving version of yourself.  You never know when you won't have another chance to say your I love you's.  

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