Losing a loved one never gets any easier

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, 

Love leaves a memory no one can steal.
From a headstone in Ireland

This was is one of my favorite memories. My best friend of all time got married the day this picture was taken. She has been my best friend since birth. Well my birth. Her family basically raised me. There are even pictures from when we are little that no one knows if they are her or if they are me. This is a picture of me being escorted out after the nuptials. My handsome escort is the grooms little brother. He was a blast to hang out with the entire (pre to post) wedding time. If he wasn't so young I would have tried to hit on him ;) He basically became my little brother. The bridesmaids and the bride made of a special dance to the song Copperhead Road and none of the groomsmen wanted to learn it expect for him. 

Today, November 9, 2011, on the way to see his girlfriend play at the WV State Volleyball Tournament in Charleston, WV his life was tragically taken in a horrible car accident. 

I found out near the end of my work shift today. I don't think I really knew what shock was until then/now. My mind just keeps replaying "it's Ethan, it's Ethan" and the nightmare restarts all over again. When I finally calm down for a few minutes it's because I feel like it's surreal and not really happening. I'm so far away from home, it's really hard to believe it's actually happened. 

My heart aches for his family, for my best friends family, for his girlfriend and her family who has been friends with my family for years and years and I used to watch her when she was a little little girl, for his ex-girlfriend and her family who I worked with at Del Sol with for a year and he would come in night after night when it got late and stayed until it closed so we wouldn't be there alone. 

It's so hard to believe that someone so full of life, with such a bright future (he was only 21) could be taken from so many people that loved him so so much. I can only hope that God has a bigger and better plan for him.