On Saturday, Feb. 20, something horrible happened that rocked a community to its core. Four local high school girls were in a car accident that caused one of them, Natalie Bolin, to lose her life. You never realize how small and connected our world is until something like this happens.
I was driving home from Appleton on Saturday night when I noticed police lights on the side of the highway. Only one officer was at the site but traffic had slowed down considerably. I said a quick prayer: "Dear God please let everyone be okay". I took a mental inventory of where my family members were supposed to be and called my husband to let him know I was running late due to traffic.
Fast forward to Sunday morning: Rob and I struggled to get the girls to church on time and squeezed through the doors to sink into our pew in the back of the church. The sermon topic was on death and how lucky we are to have eternal life after our time on earth has ended. My thoughts started drifting to people in my life who have passed away. I think about little Dylan Tritt who was called Home just two weeks prior.
Monday morning: I stop by my mom's office on the way to work and my dad is there (he works third shift and stops by to say Hi before he goes home to bed). They both start telling me about a friend of theirs who's daughter died in a car accident on Saturday night. I told them I saw the accident shortly after it happened. My heart sank as I pictured the hitch from the trailer sticking straight up in the air and wished I would've prayed harder.
Monday afternoon: I joined Natalie's facebook page before I had to meet a colleague about some advertising opportunities. The colleague told me that her daughter was a classmate of Natalie's and described how overwhelmingly sad the memorial service was on Sunday evening. It's amazing how a community pulls together to support the families and each other.
Tuesday morning: I finally found some time to pull up Natalie's facebook and couldn't believe the posts on her wall. I scrolled through some of the photo albums and although my heart was warmed by her smile my eyes burned with tears. An hour later I was meeting with another co-worker and Jeff Schneider from the YMCA about the Oshkosh Dragonboat Race & Festival. Inevitably the meeting ended in a conversation about the accident and Jeff told us that the other girls are recovering. What a relief! My co-worker has a daughter on the children's swim team and was amazed at how well the swim coach explained the situation to the young children on Monday night.
Although I didn't personally know Natalie, the last couple days have taught me that she was a remarkable young girl with a big heart. Her active role in the community impacted several thousand people in Oshkosh - both directly and indirectly.
As a new mother, I love to learn from other moms who can offer support and advice. I would like to dedicate this post to Mrs. Bolin for being a true supermom. Although Natlie's time on this earth was short, it certainly didn't go unnoticed. Her accomplishments and work ethic were a direct result of how she was raised and I admire you for that.
My family and I will continue to pray for you, your daughters and the other families affected by this tragedy.
I was driving home from Appleton on Saturday night when I noticed police lights on the side of the highway. Only one officer was at the site but traffic had slowed down considerably. I said a quick prayer: "Dear God please let everyone be okay". I took a mental inventory of where my family members were supposed to be and called my husband to let him know I was running late due to traffic.
Fast forward to Sunday morning: Rob and I struggled to get the girls to church on time and squeezed through the doors to sink into our pew in the back of the church. The sermon topic was on death and how lucky we are to have eternal life after our time on earth has ended. My thoughts started drifting to people in my life who have passed away. I think about little Dylan Tritt who was called Home just two weeks prior.
Monday morning: I stop by my mom's office on the way to work and my dad is there (he works third shift and stops by to say Hi before he goes home to bed). They both start telling me about a friend of theirs who's daughter died in a car accident on Saturday night. I told them I saw the accident shortly after it happened. My heart sank as I pictured the hitch from the trailer sticking straight up in the air and wished I would've prayed harder.
Monday afternoon: I joined Natalie's facebook page before I had to meet a colleague about some advertising opportunities. The colleague told me that her daughter was a classmate of Natalie's and described how overwhelmingly sad the memorial service was on Sunday evening. It's amazing how a community pulls together to support the families and each other.
Tuesday morning: I finally found some time to pull up Natalie's facebook and couldn't believe the posts on her wall. I scrolled through some of the photo albums and although my heart was warmed by her smile my eyes burned with tears. An hour later I was meeting with another co-worker and Jeff Schneider from the YMCA about the Oshkosh Dragonboat Race & Festival. Inevitably the meeting ended in a conversation about the accident and Jeff told us that the other girls are recovering. What a relief! My co-worker has a daughter on the children's swim team and was amazed at how well the swim coach explained the situation to the young children on Monday night.
Although I didn't personally know Natalie, the last couple days have taught me that she was a remarkable young girl with a big heart. Her active role in the community impacted several thousand people in Oshkosh - both directly and indirectly.
As a new mother, I love to learn from other moms who can offer support and advice. I would like to dedicate this post to Mrs. Bolin for being a true supermom. Although Natlie's time on this earth was short, it certainly didn't go unnoticed. Her accomplishments and work ethic were a direct result of how she was raised and I admire you for that.
My family and I will continue to pray for you, your daughters and the other families affected by this tragedy.
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