On Monday morning I sat down and wrote a long post about Sunday's 20 mile run and how my knee was hurting but my calf was ok.  As I started writing, a 43 year old mother was struck by a car and killed instantly about 3 miles from my house.  Obviously I didn't know it was happening.  As I finished typing I got a text from my friend Nancy asking if I knew who in our circle of runners was running that morning because a pedestrian had been stuck and killed on Harrison Avenue.  A feeling of immediate panic came over me as I went over the list in my head of the runners I know.  There were two I worried about more than any as I thought of the possibility of who would run alone along that route.  Every time I dismissed the thought... "No, she'd never run that route alone...", it was replaced with "Well maybe she did today."

Several texts and one anxious husband later (sorry Keith), it was confirmed that everyone was safe.  I did not believe it was anyone I knew.

Hours later the news revealed the name of 43 year old Melissa Meyer, who while walking to work, collapsed from a previous medical condition and lay unseen by the driver who ran over her.  My heart felt sad as I stopped to say a prayer for her and her family.

When John came home from work last night he said he saw a car stopped at the accident seen and saw someone place flowers on the guardrail.  How sweet!  After dinner Will asked me if we could run the trails at the park.  Not really wanting to, as night is not my energetic time, I agreed as I thought of what a rare thing it was for him to ask.

I decided to enter the park on Harrison, so I could see where the woman was hit.  As I drove toward the scene, the sight of the flowers on the guardrail and the sign brought a flood of emotion I did not expect.  No, I did not lose someone I knew and cared about, but someone was grieving terribly for the loss of their mother.  There are lives shattered by this woman's unforeseen death.  For someone, the shining, beautiful day was a mockery of their devastation.  The world LOOKS perfect in Harrison, but for Melissa's family, it was anything but.  I also thought of the poor, poor man who hit Melissa.  His life is forever changed and haunted.

Will and I said a prayer together.  We asked God to bring peace and healing to her family and to the man who hit her.  I hope so much they are finding a little.

RIP, Melissa.