for sophie

it doesn’t feel right
that I get to keep living
when you’re gone

that I get to buy an iced coffee

or listen to the sound of traffic

or be told “have a nice day” at the gas station

that I get to make plans
for tomorrow 

it doesn’t feel right
that the tears dried on my face
will do nothing to bring you back

there’s no explanation
no reason good enough

every thought is a dead end

there’s nothing I can do

but live.
for you I’ll live. 

I knew Sophie through TeenPact in my high school years, and I watched in more recent years as she married her husband Rodrigo, moved to Israel, and had two children. Even though we spent just a little time together, I was so drawn to her beautiful demeanor, her humble but confident spirit, and her servant's heart. When I traveled to her home state of Texas for another friend's funeral, after only knowing her a week, she drove 4 hours to take me back to the airport. I had dreams of staying with her family in Israel someday and hoped to know her more, or at the least watch her family grow over social media. Last week, she and her 8-week old baby, Itay, were killed in a car accident. Her husband was in critical condition upon my last update, and her little daughter is thankfully doing well. There is no way to truly process this kind of tragedy except radical honesty before God, and even that falls short. Please pray for her family and for the community that is much much closer to this heartbreak than I am. If a fund is started in honor of her and Itay, I will update this post to include it.  


Update 7-20-17: Rodrigo has joined Sophie and Itay. A GoFundMe has been started for Ruthie here.