Allison

Allison Davis walked onto the platform to receive her diploma for the B.A. in Music at SHSU in May, 2009--the same graduation ceremony in which Maura would have participated had she not already grown too weak to attend. Later, in her blog, Allison wrote about the her new life as a music teacher, as a "grown up", and her outward and inward struggles and triumphs. Here is Allison's voice, from a summer post to her blog:

I'm trying to see how God has a hand in things even when I can't see
how a situation is going to work out or the purpose of it. One thing that
really has been a struggle for me was Maura's death. For anyone reading this
that doesn't know who Maura is, she was a voice major at Sam. We were
friends, but not super close or anything. A year ago she was diagnosed with
cancer and fought a long, hard battle, finally passing away this past May
(www.mauraupdate.blogspot.com).
Maura was one of the bubbliest, most beautiful, most kind people I've ever met.
And she had this awesome faith. Like I said, we weren't all that close, but I was really affected by her whole situation. Why would God allow that to happen to someone so young, with so much potential? How could He take her away from her friends and her family? How was that FAIR? How does that show God's love? I'm
still struggling over that. It's just so hard to understand the whole situation. And I know things like that happen every day. But I don't think I've ever actually known someone my age that died. Even now, I'll think of her and the frustration almost chokes me. I don't know why her situation has become such a fixation for me. And I don't feel like I can really talk about it because there are people I'm around who were very close to her and who are probably way more frustrated than I am. I'm just seeking a purpose in this life. And a reason why things happen.

On November 16, 2009, just three days shy of the six-month milestone of Maura's death, Allison died in a car crash. So young. Others, many who were friends with both Maura and Allison, are having the same thoughts that Allison had, having experienced a double-whammy of loss.

The picture below is currently the facebook profile picture of one of Maura's very best friends, Kara, and was taken at a Halloween party last year. What a difference a year can make. The girl in the middle is Kara. On one side, Maura. On the other, Allison. How eerie to see yourself as the lone survivor of a snapshot taken barely one year ago.
My heart goes out to Allison's family, especially her siblings, her parents, and her fiancee. I have some idea what they are going through.