Jennifer Rose Wilkins

Today is a Monday. It's raining and cold. This is the day that someone will have to bury their child. Today it's someone I know. I'm not close to them and yet I am. Our families have spent that last 26 years knowing each other. Our daughters shared a classroom. That's the only reason we know each other, Jennifer and Betsy. Jennifer died on Thursday night. The night she was supposed to graduate from Torrant. She had pneumonia. The funeral was very sad. Someone had put together a video of Jennifer and her family. Her favorite song was Love Me Tender sung by Elvis. That played while we watched. Her mom told me that whenever Jennifer was upset they would play it and she would calm down. Happy pictures of her when she was a baby. Loving pictures of her with mom, dad, sisters and brothers. Vacations and fun. Just your average family. But now what? When morning comes there will be no one to get up. No one to dress or change or feed or hold. When they look in the rear view mirror of their van no one will be there. They will hear her but she won't be there. What will they do after 26 years? Will they know what to do? We've done it for almost 30 years. After today I hope I never have to find out what we will do.