mother's impact statement |
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May 15, 2009........Standing up here today is not the hardest thing I ever had to do...burying my daughter was, but your decision, Kristi, to drive drunk on Aug. 11, 2007, changed my life and many others, in the worst way possible and also took away, FOREVER, a little girls mother . My daughter ASHLEY was my life, she was my joy, my happiness, my laughter and sometimes my pain in the butt and I MISS HER. I still think about that horrible morning at the hospital, not knowing how bad anything was until I saw a girl laying in the ER. Her face and head so swollen and disfigured, that I didn't know who she was until I saw red hair sticking out from her bandages, that girl was our Stoo, then seeing another girl, who was just as bad, but I knew she wasn't ASHLEY. I was hoping then, that ASHLEY was OK, but when I saw the hospital's Chaplain, I knew, deep down, in the pit of my stomach, that the worst was yet to come. You just have no idea the amount of pain, the terror and the shock I felt finding out that ASHLEY had died and then seeing her laying there, with only a small cut on her forehead looking like she was just sleeping, screaming out " Wake up.....you can' be dead.....don't do this to us"......then I touched her, she was cold......ASHLEY was really gone......This is what I have to live with for the rest of my fife seeing and remembering that image of my only child. This should never have happened to her,,,,,ASHLEY had everything to live for, she was going to gradute from LPN school in Dec. of that year, she loved all her familly and friends, she was getting her young life back on the right track and most of all, she absolutelly adored her baby daughter, ALEXANDRIA. I still can see ASHLEY coming through the kitchen door, holding ALEXANDRIA, saying " Mom, I mad hungry, did you cook anything?" or to hear ASHLRY sing those crazy songs she would just make up about anything,,,,,to see her dancing around the house or just watching her be a MOM to her beautiful ALEXANDRIA, and our special times that we shared with each other. And most of all, I will never get to hug her, kiss her or her her call me " MOM ".......I have no other children........ASHLEY was my only child and she's gone,,,,,and you Kristi are the only one who is responsible for ASHLEY'S death and causing Amanda's and Lindsey's life long injuries. You chose to drink, drive so fast and to take those girls with you that night,,,,you had a responsibility to them and you failed. I don't hate you and one day I will probably find some forgiveness,,,but I do want you to always remember ASHLET and who she was and how many lives will forever be affedted by her tragic death. The other real tragedy in this is ALEXANDRIA.....She has no real memories of her Mommy at all...She knows what her Mommy looks like and kisses the photos of her and even though, Kristi, you will be missing some parts of your son growing up,,,but think when he turns 20 months old,,,that is how old ALEXANDRIA was when her Mommy was killed. ASHLEY only celebrated one birthday with her daughter,,,,,you on the other hand will miss a few,,,,but will be there for many more....There will be no Mother and Daughter bond for ALEXANDRIA to experience, no one can replace ASHLEY as her mother and as your son grows up and you begin to know the true joy and love of being a mother,,,,,years from now,,,,,remember ASHLEY and her daughter, ALEXANDRIA and what a wonderful life they could have shared together as I had with my daughter, ASHLEY........I don't want revenge,,,,,,I only want justice. I do believe that His Honor will be fair and just in his decision that her will grant today. No judgment will make my loss and pain ever go away at losing my ASHLEY....I will never truly be that happy person again and when I see my granddaughter, ALEXANDRIA, my heart will be forever broken knowing that she will never feel and know the real love that ASHLEY had for her......^i^ A.V.J.W. ^i^
Ashley.....another Christmas has come & went,,,,I'm glad it's over,,,really I am...It was really a hard one to go through without you,,,,,,going to church and seeing all the young mothers with their babies, my mind was on how it would be if you were still here being a mom to Alexandria.....she is so beautiful but looking at her, I know she misses you too....Last nite, she was crying for her mommy,,,I don't know why but I just held her, rocked and told her we all miss mommy,,,,She looked at your picture on the wall and said to you,,,"Merry Christmas".....I just can't believe that you are truly gone from our lives....You loved this time of year,,,getting all those gifts and every year, you knew what you were getting cause you found out where I hid them....well Alexandria got a boat load of gifts from everyone, it looks like Toys-R-Us at the house....and in the clothing dept., she not hurting either,,,,we might have to build another closet in the house.....Alexandria is going to be a clothes hound like you were.....we still miss you and think about you all the time.....these are the ones that truly loved you and hold you dear in their hearts still.....they will never forget AVJW