Richard, I'm glad you started this thread and I'm glad it's not a usual Thursday.

I still have both my parents and all my aunts and uncles and all relatives that I'm close with - I'm very lucky.

One of the few people who I was close to who died was Peanut's first mom. Her name was Liz. She was one of my best friends. She was a loving, caring compassionate young woman, who had a bit of a wild streak in her. She so wanted to meet the right guy and start a family, but it just wasn't meant to be. She was hit and killed by a drunk driver on Mother's day 1989 when she was about 25 years old. The only way her only sister could be consoled was knowing that Liz was finally reunited with their mother who had passed away a few years earlier. She was a dear dear friend and I still miss her terribly. I've since lost touch with her sister, but I want to find her - soon - because I want to share Peanut with her before Peanut's time is up. I know her sister would appreciate knowing that Liz's adorable little kitten has led such a wonderful long life.

Another friend who died way before she should have is my best friend's sister. She was only 31 when she suffered a brain aneurisym (sp?) and didn't pull through. There are 3 sisters in this family and they were always very close. The death of the middle sister devastated the whole family. New life was celebrated though because the youngest sister had a baby a few months before. I still think about Marsha often and wish she was still here. Even though her sister was my best friend, Marsha was still a good friend to me also, and we shared so much as we were growing up. I still can't comprehend that she's gone.

And on a final note. Even though I still have both my parents, it is exactly 5 years ago today that I almost lost both of them in a horrible car accident. Actually they say my dad did die about 3 times, but they were able to bring him back. I will never forget the sinking feeling in my stomach as I listened to my Aunt on the phone, and the horrible feeling when I called my Dad's hospital(they were taken to separate hospitals) to find out how he was doing and they couldn't tell me whether he'd make it through the night or not. They have now recovered for the most part, but the accident is still a part of all of our lives. I thank God everyday that they both survived.