My Friend Jodi

On Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007… my friend Jodi commited suicide.

She jumped off the Peterson Creek Bridge and fell 91 feet to her death.

We knew each other for many years, since we were kids. She was always the bright, sunny, smiling girl with a great sense of humor, the girl who you could always count on to make you feel good.

After high school, our lives went in separate directions and we lost touch. I ran into her once or twice over the years, but we never really had time to sit down and talk.

A couple of months ago, we ran into each other randomly at the Verse (my favorite hangout, a family restaurant/truckstop) where she’d come for a big dinner with a bunch of her Amway friends. She looked alot different than I remembered, but she still had that same smile. She approached me when she recognized me, and I was shocked and excited to see her. It had probably been 10 years since we were in school together so it was great to talk to her again.

Everything seemed to be going well with her, and she sounded happy about her life.

Back in high school, I had been incredibly depressed, and at times, suicidal. Jodi remembered all of it, even though I’d long forgotten. She told me that a long time ago, I’d told her that if my life hadn’t drastically improved by the time I was 27, I was going to kill myself. She said that she’d often wondered about me over the years, worried that as we approached that age my words would come true.

If only I had known. She was so worried for me all those years…and now it’s her name I’m reading in the newspaper….

…suicide…at 27…

Her funeral was the saddest thing I’ve ever experienced so far in my life. I haven’t lost a lot of people I’ve known over the years, and although Jodi and I weren’t close these last ten years, she was still my friend regardless, and it was a painful experience.

At the end of the funeral, they had a tribute video, and played "All You Need is Love" and "Yesterday" by The Beatles. The final picture of her was her standing there posing, with a great big smile and a bright red shirt which read ‘Can’t Forget Me.’

And it’s true..we never will…

Rest in peace, Jodi.

I hope you’ve found the happiness you deserve.