Pray for them

I copied this from my sister´s blog on myspace. Hopefully, she doesn´t mind. It is a tragic thing that has happened to someone from my childhood. I feel a similar hurt to that which Tara expresses...

death
unfortunately, a text message at work today from kara has thrown me visciously into reality. and i cant help but to think about what was.
every once in a while something happens, good or bad, that causes me to think about when i was young. today i think about growing up with the kids in church. we were a small, tight knit group. our parents had play dates, we saw eachother in sunday school or childrens church, then finally (because it took us forever) got to jr high youth group. the days of melody and me, kelly and heather palmer, aimee kugel, austin hess, colt weiss, lindsay and brad mensch, and dj and zach innocent. by default according to our age and our circumstances, we were friends.
it's funny to think of the days when we were constantly together. and how far we've all come from sitting in Aimee's mom's sunday school class, or listening to Rosy and Bob teach in childrens church, or playing at dj and zach's dad's car dealership. all of us have gone through good times and trials, some of us have lost touch, others became closer throughout the years. most of us have let the friendships slip away throughout the years and settled into being mere acquaintences. however, we'll always have the memories (and pictures!) of our younger years, and they will always bring a smile to our faces. we will always have our childhoods to bring us together, and we will always know we can find a friend in eachother if we need it.
well, the point of my blog. last night we lost one of our own. dj innocent died in a motorcycle crash. i dont know the details, i simply got a text message stating the tragic event. i feel overwhelming sadness, especially for zach.. because i can sympathize so well. i can't imagine what i would be feeling if i lost melody. i cant imagine what karen is going through, to lose her oldest son at the young age of 22.
but we will always have the memories. whether it's the times of being crammed into a van together and me telling dj every time we pass a call box (every mile for the 150 mile or so trip), calling him at midnight on new years from new jersey just to yell into the phone, playing soccer after youth group, or writing notes during childrens church. nothing, not even death, can take away the memories.
please keep the innocent family in your prayers.
rest in peace dj