Sunday October 18, 2009 I went to church in Spearman with my family. At church my friend Rosa and I had decided we would go to the movies later. That afternoon we went to the movies and saw Where the Wild Things Are. At 6:32, Rosa and I were walking out of the theater and my phone began ringing, it was my older brother Ryan. He was very calm and collected and told me that there had been a wreck and he thought Ali Tyler had died.
Rosa and I drove to the Spearman hospital, and Ryan had been right. Everyone was standing around at the hospital not really knowing what to do. I was by myself so Mattie and I drove home together. After we got home many of our friends gathered at Madison's house. We all sat and looked at each other with blank faces.
The next day at school was to this date the hardest day of my young life so far. You can never be sure how such an event will affect you. I was not Ali's best friend by any means. When Ali was an 8th grader I started taking her to the gym with me in the mornings. I picked up her and Kaysha. Ali and I had our fair share of morning conversations because I picked her up first. Ali and I played basketball together. When she died she was a sophomore and I was a senior. My role on the basketball team was never to be the lead scorer or the girl who played every minute of every game. I tried and still try to maintain a role of a big sister to the younger girls who were on my basketball team. Our team had a bond and a chemistry that you only truly understood if you were apart of it. Many fans, friends, and family could see the chemistry but to understand how close knit of a team we were was almost impossible.
Today is the one year reunion of the accident and it is a struggle. My girls, Steph and Tate have been in my prayers constantly today. I find so much peace in knowing that I serve a loving and caring God who is holding everyone affected by the tragedy.
As for the song of the day, it is the story of what happened October 18, 2009.
With all of my heart,
law
Very beautiful Leigh Anne..In God's awesome knowledge which is much higher than ours...He never put Ali here by chance, but by His choosing. His hand formed her and made her the person she was. He compared her to no other...just like He compares you to no other. Ali was one of a kind. She lacked nothing that His grace could not give her at this time in her history, to fulfill His special purpose for Ali for this generation...We will see for a long time to come the purpose God had for her. You be blessed and put God first in your life and you will see His favor... Iris Wood
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