I celebrated Avery’s last birthday ever on October 5, 2012. Except I didn’t know it was her last. Our last. Nineteen days later, on October 24, 2012, Avery died instantly as a result of a single car accident. And it truly was an accident. Speeding was not a factor. Cell phone use or texting was not a factor. Drugs or alcohol was not a factor.
It just happened. In a matter of seconds a precious life was lost, and the world as we knew it became forever changed.