A Sisters Love

Living through this tragedy brings with it, not just the very obvious emotions and concerns, but also the not very obvious. ...........................

Jennifer is the oldest of six sisters, who all had their special relationship with her. Three of the girls are mine and three are her Daddy's and his wife's. I will speak here of my own fears and the things that my two girls are going through.

Jennifer is my oldest daughter, Heather my middle and Casey is the baby. I will write today about Heather mostly, she is having an extremely difficult time as they all are.

Heather came to me the other day and asked me, "Mom is it selfish of me that when I think of Jenn that I think of all the things that she has missed in my life?" Well, of course this is not selfish, as I told her, "No, it is natural for you to want to share your life with your sister." You see, when Jennifer and Adrianna vanished from our lives, Heather was preparing for her Senior prom and high school gradutaion. Just a couple of weeks after that terrible day in our lives, Heather was getting ready for her prom. She looked so beautiful in the prom dress! A gown that she had spoke with Jenn about over the phone and Jenn had told her that she could not wait to see her in it, of course she never did. What should have been a very magical night for Heather, was overshadowed by the fear and grief that all the family was experiencing. A few short weeks later, two months to the day after her sister and niece disappeared, came graduation. I will never forget her sitting on the field with the rest of her classmates and watching as her eyes darted around all over waiting for her sister to make an appearance. I will also never forget what she told me afterwards, "Mom, I don't believe that Jennifer is alive, I know that she would never have missed this day."...............................................................Since that day, Heather's life has continued to bring joy though I don't believe she thought that it would. She met her prince charming and he proposed to her a few months ago! She accepted and will be married next June the 10th. As she makes her wedding plans, she also makes special plans for Jennifer and Adrianna so that they can be a part of her special day. She will not ask her sister, Casey to be her Maid of Honor because she says that she would never choose between her two sisters, to ask one and not the other.

Last Friday, Heather graduated from Cosmotology School. She has a wonderful career ahead of her, one that Jennifer, I'm sure always knew that she would. Again, her big day was tempered with the fact that she could not share this day with two people who mean so much to her. That was the day that she asked me if she was being selfish.

Casey has just entered her Senior year of high school and we begin again a very bitter sweet year of celebrations that are not celebrated as they should be.

I know the things that I am writing about are very personal, but I want to somehow convey the way this has affected our entire family. Sometime all people see are the big things, the outward pleas and the small amout of media that they see. There are so many day to day things that happen to let us know that our lives will never be the same. That is until our family is complete again and we can put this all behind us and really CELEBRATE!


A sisters love is endless. The childhood memories, the secrets they share, the fact that they are not just sisters but are bestfriends. So, Heather and Casey have not just lost their sister, they have lost a bestfriend as well. If I could only take their pain and bear it all I would, but I cannot, they must somehow rise above this to fulfill the dreams that they have for themselves. I have confidence that they will, I raised three very smart, spirited, gifted, beautiful young women. They will prevail.......................................the THREE of them.