Something happened today that has me thinking...

A family friend's son lost a friend and had two other friends injured in an avalanche. Scary stuff.

This just reminded me of my only brush with an avalanche.

Growing up we always went to maine in the summer. My dad has been going to the same cabins for over 50 years now. There is another family we vacation with. They have two children - Chris and Sarah. Sarah was an inspiration to me growing up. She was older than me, and drop dead gorgeous. She was a beautiful young woman, with long blonde hair and a huge smile. She went to Brown University, she did triathlons... and funny enough she was one of the ONLY people I knew that didn't always shave her armpits and legs. I thought that was really cool since she was strong enough to not conform to all of societies rules.

I didn't know her all that well because of our age difference, but she as always so nice to me. Made me feel special. Every summer she'd sit down with me a couple of times to talk to me about MY life. I thought this was the coolest.

She earned idol status in my book the summer she brought her 'friend' with her on vacation. He was indeed a friend, but she had actually helped him escape from a divided Germany. AMAZING.

In 1994 Sarah died in an avalanche. The story that I have heard lifted her to legendary status in my book. She was with her fiancee, and he carried her body back down the mountain. beautiful. I have always found beauty in the fact that although a terrible tragedy, it seems like the most poetic way for her to have had her life ended.

Now - 11+ years later I still think of her often, especially in Maine when I see the Mountain that her family spread her ashes on. I know her family still mourns their daughter, sister, neice and cousin, as do all those whose lives she touched. She lives on forever in my mind as a beautiful woman who loved life, lived life and was essentially life.

So today, in wake of another tragedy, I am again reminded of Sarah.