Taking Life For Granted

I got some really sad news yesterday, a friend of mine from my days at the University of Hartford passed away suddenly.  Tara was such a beautiful and kind hearted person. She never had anything bad to say about someone, she always had a smile on her face and she was always upbeat and positive.  My heart aches for her, her husband, her family and her unborn baby boy. The world lost a good one yesterday!   

Tara was part of a very defining moment of my life.  She was one of the seven drama kids who came to London in the Summer of 1999 to study.  It was a life changing trip for me as I'm sure it was for the other six teenagers and early twentysomethings.  That trip was what made me want to move here.  My head has been spinning since I found out about her yesterday afternoon.  I keep replaying moments times we spent together and I can't believe she is gone.  Over the last 10 years she and I have only really chatted via facebook and the occasional email but I am absolutely devastated.  She was only 32, been married for a short amount of time, expecting her first baby in February and now she is gone. 

Tom met me after work and we sat in Pret talking and I had a million and one questions going through my head and none of them will ever be answered. And I keep trying to figure out what can be learned and taken from this? The only thing I've got is...tell your friends and family you love them every day, don't think about what you could be doing next year, next month or next week even, just live your life each day and think fondly of the people who've come into your life they all have something to teach you. 

Here are a few photos from my London trip in 1999...

RIP Tara. You will always be loved and never forgotten.