My daughter had a wonderful friend, he lived with his mother & grandmother in Bermuda. He called me mom & Sophie called Judah’s mother, mom. both of us moms knew how important their relationship was.

i was in the kitchen, one night, trying to make a snack…Sophie walks into the kitchen & i was aware that she was talking to Judah, but i wasn’t really listening as they spoke almost everyday. I  opened the refrigerator door & i see Judah on Sophie’s phone screen inside & upright against the milk & he says, “Hi Mom, can i get you anything?” surreal & so very wonderfully funny, i will never, ever forget it. my daughter had a tough year & i can honestly say, without a doubt, my daughter wouldn’t have done as well as she did, if she didn’t have Judah. I loved that he saved her. sometimes its our children’s friends that pull them through the tough teen years.

one morning, my daughter sent me a text, she was at her grandparents house, the text read, “Judah died” No! no. that cannot be. I called her immediately & demand answers. We were both crying. Judah had died in a motorcycle accident. Judah had plans to further is education in England, so that he could support his mother & grandmother. I cannot even type this with crying at the loss of his beautiful soul. The boy that kept Sophie standing up, when she really wanted to fall to her knees. He saved her.

Sophie has always been jealous of my affections for my animals. when i was caught with an animal beside me, her contempt was obvious, i felt that perhaps she was unable to bond with an animal. So, it was a shock, when she saw a shelter kitten & asked me if she could have one… that loved her most, she said. in the car, she took her kitten out of his box & held him on her lap. as we drove home, she was coming up with silly names…then she became very quite, “mom, i want to name him Judah, so i will always remember my friend” my son, myself & my daughter cried at the beauty & the pain of loss of a 17 year old boy that became part of our family for year.

this is Day One with Judah. Sophie kept him in her room to bond for about three weeks, then Judah was invited to meet Ivy…and a stray named Quicksilver. I’ve gotta say, Judah makes my daughter feel loved, can make her laugh & she can hold him tight. We all know Judah loves my daughter best.

unless he sees a ceiling fan…