I'm not usually heavy...

...as in subject matter.  However, after reading this, I cannot help but express the flood of emotion I am feeling at the moment.  A fellow blogger, Marija, was killed in a car accident this past weekend while driving home from an out-of-state antiquing trip. Her husband has posted a very touching story, which took a lot of courage and care to do for his wife and her community.  I'm not going to curse bad drivers on the road, or question the purpose of this tragedy, but rather commend the community we all belong to.  If you are reading my blog right now, you are part of my community, either through personal friendships, family, or what I like to call the Design-blog World.  It is so moving to read about random strangers expressing sorrow, joy, luck, success, understanding...on a daily basis.

I did not know Marija, nor did I know her family, but as I read the comments people are leaving on her blog, bulletins people are posting on facebook, or personal stories on other bloggers' websites, I know that Marija was a friendly person who inspired people.  She was part of a community much greater in size than that of her neighborhood.  She has fans, friends, clients, admirers, people whose lives she personally touched. Reading her husband's words, for a moment, we in this community took a break from living in a fantasy land, where city-dwellers picture throwing a fancy garden party in their beautifully landscaped yard they don't realistically have, or southern-hemisphere residents daydreaming about sun-soaked beaches to escape their bleak winter weather, and we were hit with a big bag of real.

I always worry about what to say to someone who has just experienced a serious loss.  I feel like everything I could possibly say to express my feelings sounds so lame.  How many ways can one say 'sorry?'  But, you know, it doesn't matter.  The support is what counts, not conjuring the perfect sentence.  Word of this tragedy has been spreading like wild fire and will likely continue to do so.  The biggest impact will be the overwhelming sense of support and community from total strangers, world-wide.  I am so lucky to be a part of that community.