"Friends are kisses blown to us by angels." ~Unknown

Hannah Maria Seawell
February 6, 1981-February 24, 1999

February 6th---the date that continues to stay engraved in my mind and heart forever. Hannah would have been 28 years old today. Sometimes I wonder where one of my best friends would be if she had survived her tragic car accident during our senior year in high school. She probably would have been the main organizer of our 10-year class reunion that is quickly approaching this summer. She would have attended college at UNC-Wilimington because she always loved the beach. Hannah and I were always thought to look alike, except she had the beautiful brown eyes, dark skin, and extremely energetic personality. She was also much louder since she was captain of the cheerleading squad while I played on the basketball court. Each year for Homecoming Spirit Week, we would dress up in the same outfit for "twin day." We even had the same tennis shoes! We also loved to wear the color orange.


We had bought our prom dresses the same week she ran the stop sign. I wanted the royal blue satin dress, but since she also wanted it, she discovered an elegant silver dress for me that still makes me think of Cinderella when I see pictures. Her blue dress was still hanging in the truck when the wreck occurred. Hannah parked beside me at school, and it was obvious when I was running late when we arrived at school during the same time. Hannah was the first person who invited me on a double date and we ended up falling asleep waiting on the boys to finish baseball practice. Hannah was constantly observing others, which I constantly reminded her that staring someone up and down was not polite. She quickly informed me that you can tell a lot about a person just by watching them...she is right as I become the "observer" in shopping malls, parks, and now even at school.

Each time I hear the name Hannah a smile spreads across my face because that is what Hannah did everyday when was here on earth---SMILE! She touched so many lives and every member of our graduating class still remembers the dreadful afternoon of February 24, 1999. Our lunch table remained quiet and dull the weeks following Hannah's death, but it made all of us realize at an early age the value of life. It made the procrastinators turn in their final college applications, it made the gossip queens stop spreading the rumor, and it made the senior class grateful for the future that lied ahead. We mourned for months, even the night we graduated, there was a spot for Hannah. However, we knew that Hannah would want us to continue to live life happily!
Ironically, my first year at ASU, I met one of my closest friends who lived right beside me on the hall. She was Morgan from Morganton and she would have passed for Hannah's twin. She even had the same personality of Hannah, including the staring. I know it was meant for me to meet Morgan to continue with the healing process of losing Hannah.

Hannah taught me one of life's greatest lessons, which was to do what makes you happy, no matter what other people think. Just remember to love yourself and pursue your dreams!

When I heard about the tragic loss of East Montgomery's students during the Christmas holiday, my heart ached for those students and her family. Sometimes we wonder why this happens, but I truly believe it makes all of us analyze our own lives to become better people. We carry those loved ones with us forever and they are never really gone from this earth.