tragic

ok, so the headlines this morning were about the tragic death of a child who we have known as long as we can remember.....we have few memories of our boys at montessori that do not include this precious child....from preschool through 5th grade, and then in more exotic locales....i accompanied her class to paris their 8th grade year, then ran into her again in amboise on the loire 3 years later.....i have a lovely photo of her, standing in the street with shops in the background.....and then there was graduation- her speech was articulate and spoke to just how far we all knew she could go.......but neither of these memories is as poignant as the time i ran into her, home from college, and she asked me about my child, who at the time was not applying himself...she told me that she worried about him, because she knew he was capable of doing great things.....these were my thoughts, exactly, and to hear them coming from a cohort still brings tears to my eyes...because he has since turned his academic life around, and is doing great things...........she was everything a young woman ought to be if she possibly can- talented, cultured, gracious, and caring.....the world is a sadder place today without such a knowing soul