We all lost a dear friend on Saturday, June 28. Hilary, our neighbor, died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism. She was 41 years old. She was married 13 years and she and Vince, her husband, have a 4 year old little girl, Brianna. Our neighborhood was rocked with the news. But out of every tragedy comes some good. Seeing the comraderie of the neighborhood come together to do little things like cut the grass, take out their trash, take in their mail are all testimonies to how blessed we all are to be living here. All of us have been talking over the past 2 days about many things. One theme that keeps coming up is the feeling we have living here. None of us feel we live in the perfect house and there are many things about our houses that we would change. But none of us are willing to move because of what we have in the people we are surrounded by. Seeing the kindness and generosity of each household the past two days has been phenomenal. Kelly and Norm took Brianna into their home Saturday night after the ambulance picked up Hilary and Vince. She promised Vince she would take care of Brianna as long as he needed them to. Then we all found out the terrible news that Hilary died a few hours later and although the rest of us could grieve, Kelly and Norm could not. They had a little girl in their home who didn't know her mother had died. They were able to keep things together until 1:15 Sunday when we took Brianna to her Dad at his sister's house. For me, the healing started the moment I witnessed the reunion of Vince and Brianna. She got out of Kelly's van and saw Vince. She ran to him and lept up into her arms and received the biggest, most loving hug I have ever seen. At that moment I knew that the two of them were going to be just fine. Several people have asked me if I am worried about Hilary. I have said from the very beginning that there is not an ounce of my being that is worried about Hilary. She was a very strong willed and loving woman. I know she is with God and at peace. In her short lifetime she has done so much for people. More than she was even aware of. With her being a 911 dispatcher for 19 years, it was her job to help people who were in crisis. The majority of those people never get to thank the person on the other end of the line who are the first responders. Not many of us could handle that job and yet Hilary did so with dignity and respect. When I found out that was her job, there was a new found form of respect that I gained for her because I know I could never do that job. Hilary is just fine in Heaven. It is those of us left on earth that are the ones who need love and support now. My heart is very heavy for Brianna, who at the age of 4 does not understand the magnitude of what has happened. There will be milestones that she will want her Mommy there for; the first day of Kindergarten, birthdays, boyfriends and the heartbreaks that go with them, school dances, sports, recitals, her wedding day. My prayer for Vince is that he will surround himself with family and friends who, both short term and more importantly, long term will be able to help and nurture his relationship with Brianna through those milestones but also in the day to day existence. My prayer for Brianna is that she always know that her Mommy loved her more than life itself and that she is looking down from heaven and smiling on "B" as she liked to call Brianna. We will support Vince and Brianna in the coming years in whatever way they need. I thank God every day that he brought Brian and I to this neighborhood to raise our family. I pray that we will continue to learn and grow from this very sad occasion. And lastly I pray that God will guide each of us to do the work he wishes for us to do and that he will lay his precious hands on Vince and Brianna as they grieve the loss of a wonderful wife and mother.
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