Well, there was a memorial service for Alice today. The church was packed with friends, co-workers, family, and school friends. It was so hard. Ben's brother came all the way from Nashville for the day. This service was supposed to give closure to all the family who knows she is not coming back but it is hard knowing that she has not been found and that sooner or later, that may happen, opening old wounds and affording us new grief. I have had a much harder time than I would have expected, perhaps because she was near my age, active, happily married, doing a great job with United Way of JC. It is just not right...death at an early age.
Tonight I went on a mountain bike ride with a couple of friends, in the Holston Mountains. The lake where Alice drowned is at the bottom and I had to drive by that lake that took her. Harry, her father-in-law, who passed away of cancer on my Southern Tier ride two years ago loved the ride we did tonight. He was always joking about stopping before the last mile downhill. He stopped at that point and turned around...he didn't want to have to ride back up! I called Jane, his wife on the way home tonight. I was thinking about her, Harry, Tom, and Alice. It is so hard for all of them. We love you, Tom. This should not happen to anyone.
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