Losing a loved one is never easy, whether it is expected or not. Our community has definitely gone through a lot the last couples months. A girl who is a year younger than me lost her 34 year old father from a massive heart attack in the middle of the night. This definitely shook up our town. Living in a town so small is a huge advantage when something tragic happens. Without a doubt, everyone comes together. There was a girl in Highmore who was a year younger than me who died in a car accident. Also, there was a boy from Wessington Springs who had died from a car accident a couple weeks before. Everyone in the area was asking the same question. When will this stop? So, here is the story I am getting at. Thursday, October 13th was a regular day. It was game day for us volleyball girls. A big game at that. It was the last few minutes of class and me and my best friend were looking up the weather for Indiana for the following week. We had planned to travel there to the National FFA Convention where we would compete in Meats Judging with two other classmates. While we were doing this, one of our teachers had rushed into the classroom and yelled to her to hurry and follow him. We all got quiet and looked at each other in confusion. Once the bell rang, we got the news that her brother had gotten in a four-wheeler accident and passed away. The emotions came all at once. My first thought was her. I needed to be there for her, but I didn't want to be overbearing and not give her any space or time to react and grieve. It was a hard situation to be in. I've never dealt with such a close friend whose lost a loved one. I got her a key chain with his name on it, along with a wooden wall decoration with their picture on it.

The best feeling was seeing her reaction and the love in her eyes when she received this. She will never, ever be the same, but the best thing I could do was to make her comfortable and keep her in her same routine. We talked every night until 1 a.m. talking about it and everything that she was dealing with in her head. God has a plan for everyone, and there are good things to come out of every tragedy if you look close enough. I see the good part that came out of this is the relationships that have grown since the accident. We have gotten much closer since, and for that, I am grateful.