My Friend

I consider myself to be an peacenik and am saddened by the violence in the world. No violence has touched me as personally as the murder of my friend, Mary, and her daughter two years ago. Mary was a college friend of mine and one of the most loving, joy-filled, and giving persons who I have ever known. Her daughter, Susanna, was her first born and was born only six months before my first child. So, I remember Mary fondly giving me mothering advice.
We hadn't seen each other in years and it was even a few years since we had been in contact but I always knew that I would get back to Seattle, again, and that Mary and I and our friend, Sid, would all three pick up where we left off. That was, until, Sid called two years ago, with the news of Mary's and Susanna's murders.

And how did these two wonderful women get murdered? They were hiking - yes, that's right. They were hiking in the mountains in the outskirts of Seattle and were shot. Just like that - and the murders are not yet solved. A week does not go by that I don't think of Mary but this week I am writing about her and Susanna in my blog because somebody who saw my online photos of them contacted me. Through that contact, I learned about a new effort of Mary's wonderful husband to aid the investigation - I wanted to share this news story with you.

As you watch this, please multiply this tragic tale by the tens of thousands who are victims of gun violence in our country each year. http://www.nwcn.com/topstories/stories/NW_092908WAB_stodden_murder_documentary_TP.c62a554d.html