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I didn’t hear from
her for a couple of months until a got this message from her friend:
“Hi
My name is Susie and I joined the list a few weeks ago, before then, my best friend Maggie and I used to make a cup of coffee, get out the cookie jar and log on to see what was happening with you guys. That's how I know she would have liked me to send you all this e-mail. Maggie was driving Katie to school when she was involved in a freak accident. A sheep jumped out onto the road, Maggie swerved to avoid it, hit some black ice and lost control of the car, the car ended upside down in a ditch. Tragically little baby Jennie was the only one to survive the accident. As it has now been a month since the accident I thought that it was about time I pulled myself together and told you all about it. Mags would have hated you to think that she'd just deserted you. Maggie was a beautiful, kind, caring, strong, fun loving woman, who lived life to the full with a passion that was envied by everyone who knew her. Wherever there was fun or mischief you could nearly always guarantee that Maggie would be in the middle of it. Her beautiful little daughter Katie, who wasn't quite three years old, was developing all the signs of growing up just like her mother. She'd get up to mischief and then just turn that angelic smile of hers on you, and you'd forgive her anything. Maggie and I had great hopes that our daughters would be as good friends as we were, and I suppose in a way they were during their short little lives together. Little Jennie is being looked after by her Nana and Grandad in Dublin, and they've promised to keep in touch with me, so I'll update you every now and again on her progress if you'd like. Before I go, Maggie would've hated you to be sad for her. She enjoyed life and loved to see the people around her laughing. So if you're going to think of her, think of her with a smile on your face, and take a leaf from her book and enjoy your life. After all her motto for life was "a day without laughter is a day wasted". May their memory live on in our hearts forever. Susie” And this was my response: Susie, Thank you for letting us know about Maggie. It is a terrible blow to hear and no matter how much we know Mags would not want us to be sad, the world became just a little bit less without her. "Maggie, we will miss you. Thank you for letting us into your life and sharing the great gift giving birth to Jennie. Though I never personally met you, the conversations we had over the internet will be cherished and our friendship to each other (our group), will be remembered forever." Susie, Please post a picture of Maggie and her family (as a group or separate pictures) for us. Maggie promised us a picture of Jennie also. This list will stay active for a long time (even if I'm the last person on it) so that we may hear updates on Jennie's health and progress through life. Maybe one day, she will type us a note. Keep in contact. To everyone else, Please type a few short lines to Maggie. Even if it is to say good bye. Keith p.s. Good Bye, Maggie O'Rourke |
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And Then I got a final email from Susie: Hi Thank you for all your kind messages about Mags. It's strange that after all the comfort I've gotten from friends and family it was reading your e-mails that let me finally lay Maggie to rest. It's hard letting go of such a good friend. I forwarded your messages to Maggie's parents and they are deeply touched by what you have to say. They agree with me that there's no need to send a card, the mails and the thoughts of Keith's memorial page have hit the spot. There is no gravesite so to speak. Maggie's parents, her brother, my parents, my husband and I, went up to Maggie's "Thinking Spot" (a cliff overlooking the sea) and scattered their ashes, so that mother and daughter could lie listening to the waves crashing below them. As it's not really a place for leaving flowers we were wondering if instead you might consider doing one of the following, which we know Mags would have approved of: - Donate the money to a children's charity - Bring a teddy bear into a children's hospital, to brighten up some Childs day - If you're the legal age for your country, go into your local bar and toast Maggie and Katie with a glass of Irish whiskey. Maggie used to drink it on the rocks but I recommend a splash of coca cola in it. Maggie's Mammy is concerned however, that only the older members of the list do this suggestion, as she doesn't want to be responsible for suggesting something that introduces under aged drinkers to Irish Whiskey. :) - Or you could just listen to Boyzone and think about Mags, as not a day went by without her listening to them. (That suggestion is especially for Vikki :) Once again Maggie's family and friends would like to thank you all for your kind thoughts. As Maggie would say "Keep Dreaming" Susie Once the messages stopped from Susie, I emailed her a few more times and never got a response, until that fateful message: Keith This is Fred, Susie's husband. I was sorting through Susie’s mail and came across your message and thought it deserved a reply. In March of this year Susie made the ultimate sacrifice as a Mother, our daughter ran out in front of a car and Susie managed to push her to safety, taking the full blow of the car herself. She fought for her life, but after an agonizing month she finally slipped away. It's hard for me to express myself properly and I apologize if this seems too matter of fact to you. If truth be told I'm still in shock, trying to figure out why it happened. Why her, why our family, why so soon after Mags. She was my life, my heart, my soul, my everything, and without her my life is empty. When they were in their teens Mags and Sue went to a fortune teller who told them they would both die tragically within a year of each other. We used to laugh about it, making up stupid stories, not believing a word the crazy woman said, but it turned out to be the truth. From what Sue told me about you I know you're married, so live life as if every day were your last with your wife, and never let her leave the house on a harsh word because you never know when you're going to regret all those things that you said, and all those things that you left unsaid. There's too many memories to haunt me here so next week my daughter and I are going to the States to stay with my brother for a while. So you'll only be able to get me here for another few days. One of the last things Sue wrote was her "Memory of Maggie" did she get to send it to you? It was dated March 24th. If not I can send it to you. They were two amazing women Keith. I wish you could have met them. As for Jen, yes she is still with her grandparents and thriving on all the love and attention that she's getting from them. I don't know what picture Sue promised you so I can't answer that one. Fred I’d didn’t receive that last email, so Fred sent it to me again: Keith, hi, Sorry this took so long, but it was harder than I thought it would be. In the end the only way I could write it was by writing to Mags herself. She was always so easy to talk to. I don't know if it's what you're looking for, it's quite long winded and that. You might want to edit it a bit. It did however help me a lot, I had a great old cry and feel much better. So even if you don't put it all on the page, I shall be eternally grateful to you for getting me to write it. I ended up by having to send the pictures to Dublin where they are being scanned, and as soon as I get them back I'll e-mail them to you. I must apologize for the delay, but living in the back of beyond where I do, it's hard to get anything done that involves such modern technology as a scanner :) Hopefully I'll have them by next week. Thanks again Susie Margaret/Maggie/Mags/Meg - meaning pearl It's strange to think after 28 years, I'm only now looking up the meaning of your name. Did you know what it meant? Pearl, it suits you. A pearl is beautiful, rare and precious. A bit like you :) You were/still are my beautiful, unique :), Maggie, and I will treasure our friendship forever. I know that I never have nor never will meet anyone quite like you again in my whole life. One Maggie in a life time is enough for anyone :) In a strange way I'm glad that you died in that crash. Had you survived and Katie died anyway, I know that there would have been nothing that I or any of your family could have done to ease your pain. This way your biggest fear (that you would outlive your children) will never come to pass. You may rest in peace knowing that for her short little life Katie O'Rourke was a happy little soul. That was mainly thanks to you. You went out of your way to make sure that your home was always filled with laughter, and protected her from any harm with a fierceness and determination that startled all those who didn't know you very well. She was completely oblivious to the fact that anything other than love, happiness and adoration existed in her life. Your Mam and I promise to make sure that Jennie grows up feeling that same sense of security and love that Katie did, and that she will never forget her Mammy and sister who loved her so much. You were a devoted Mammy. You'd play with Katie and Jennie first and then if there was time later you'd tidy up the house. Fred could never understand how you all managed to live in such chaos, but I could, and there's nothing Becca and I loved more than popping in to visit you. We were never sure what would greet us, but were always sure of a warm welcome:) Your friendship was, and always will be, one of the most important things in my life. You helped make me the person that I am today. Without you I never would have rebuilt my sandcastle when we were in "play school" after "bold girl name a Rachel" jumped on it, or been able to defend myself when the same bold Rachel stole my chocolate biscuit. You taught me to share my toys when I was going through the "NO MINE" stage. I don't think you ever went through that stage. You were always kind and generous spirited from the very start. You led me into all sorts of mischief when we got older, but always made sure that I got home safe and more or less in tact. Do you remember the time when we were grounded and I slipped climbing back in your bedroom window after Kens party. I ended up in the ER with a concussion and boy were our Mams mad :) As a wife you always felt as if you'd failed. But no one could have tried more than you to make things work. When things started to go wrong you faced them with grace, bravery and dignity. The failure was definitely not on your part. There were a lot of heartfelt sighs of relief when you and the girls finally packed your bags. As a woman, you were (as Fred used to say) all woman :) I think that deep down my husband had a little crush on you :), but who could blame him :) Wherever we'd go guys would hit on you. I remember you asking me once why that was, you could never understand it. You were pretty, but it was more than that you had the sort of open, friendly face that made guys want to come up and talk to you. You had a definite soft spot for dark haired men. Let me see there was Chandler from "Friends" Greg from "Dharma and Greg" Fr. Antonio Torres from "Sunset Beach" and of course your favorite, Jay Anthony Franke. I think your first words when you saw him were "Fwaaaaaagh" Such a silly sound, but everyone in the room got your meaning :) Why you married a blonde I'll never know. I remember the night before the accident. The kids were in bed and we were unwinding after a hectic day. We were listening to Westlifes "Flying Without Wings". You told me that you'd finally found that "special thing". You had two beautiful children and a friendship that you cherished all your life. You didn't have the love of a good man, but hey you were "flying without wings" anyway. I believe that you were truly happy those last few days. You were always there for me, I could tell you anything, safe in the knowledge that you would never betray my confidence, or judge me for what I'd done. You were there to laugh with me during happy times and cry with me during sad times. That's why I find it so hard now. I'm mourning you, and you're not here to help me. Please Maggie keep your promise and haunt me forever. Your loving friend Sue I never heard back again from Fred or anyone from the family after that email but they have been on my mind ever since. If one day, Jennie reads this, she can contact us and let me know how things have been. Keith |
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THESE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS MAGGIE HAS WRITTEN
ON THE MAILING LIST "Hey guys That's a good idea for us all to introduce ourselves Keith. I agree with Vikki you have a very pretty wife. Look after her and keep her safe. Well here goes. My name is Maggie, I'll be 28 in January. I've been married to Danny for about 4 and a half years. I have two beautiful daughters. Katie aged 2 and a half and Jennie (who you all know about) aged 5 weeks. They are my heart, my soul, my life and the centre of my universe. I live in the South of Ireland on the coast. Which is pretty stormy and wintery at the moment. I've been promised either a scanner or a digital camera for Christmas. So until then we'll have to remain faceless. I love watching Friends, ER and of course California Dreams. Along with Vikki I have to confess to being a Boyzone fan, and have been getting a lot of slagging from my friends and family for getting tickets to their concert here in January. That's about it. Keep dreaming Mags" "Jeez guys I'm away for a few days and come back to find the otherwise calm waters of the CD chat room, very troubled indeed. In fact so troubled that the great man himself found it necessary to step in :) |
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| These are some messages from Maggie’s friends on the Mailing List: | |||||||||
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| And after we received the news about Susie, a couple of friends sent these messages too: | |||||||||
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| Many years have come and gone, Maggie and Susie are no longer with us, but in memory, they will never leave and as a parting gift, sing this song for them: | |||||||||
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So Glad I Was There Don't wake me up if I'm dreaming, Just let me lay here in the Sun, until my dream is done. |
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