On September 16, 2012, there was a horrible crash in my community. A church van was hit by a guy on drugs. 2 people died. The youth pastor, and a 16-year-old girl from his youth group. It was the most horrifying thing I'd ever heard of. I won't go into too much detail because after I found out, I wished with all my heart that I could go back and never hear every horrifying detail. But basically, the van was hit head-on. It rolled 3 times and caught on fire after landing in a ditch.
Courteney, from what I have heard and been told, loved to laugh and would do anything to make people laugh. She was a tomboy, and loved car shows and shooting at the shooting range. Everyone describes her as a girl with a big heart. Several people even said she was the sunshine of her school. Everyone says she was constantly involved in missions, and she loved helping people.
I never knew Courteney, but I know a lot of people who did. Her best friend is now my best friend. Even though I never knew her, she has taught me a lot. I've learned to enjoy life more- to treasure the little things, and to laugh whenever possible. You never know when your last moment is. She's also taught be to DO something with my life. Instead of sitting around on my bed, I want to spend my life helping and loving people. When I die, I don't want people to look back on my life and say, "Now what did she do again? Gosh I can't even remember." Do you?
In short... even though I never knew Courteney, I am very grateful for everything that she taught me. I'm also incredibly grateful for the best friend that she "passed on" to me. We love you Courteney!