Kjersten

This morning's Oregon Symphony rehearsal was interrupted for a horrible announcement.

Three Eugene Symphony musicians were driving back from their own rehearsal last night when a drunk driver going south in the northbound lanes of I-5 hit them, killing violinist Angela Svendsen and violist Kjersten Oquist. Oboist Kelly Gronli was injured but has been released from the hospital. The accident occured just outside Albany, near the exit where my labor with Toby started. In fact, I was on my way to a Eugene Symphony rehearsal and it was Kjersten I called.

I met Kjersten a little over a year ago and found her to be friendly and possessed of a fine, dry sense of humor. I liked her. It is chilling to have somebody with such similar stats- 30-something violist, mom, portlander- die pointlessly and without warning like this.

I know as a Christian, I'm supposed to have some peace in this life about the spectre of death, and while the dying itself isn't really what gets me, the missing out absolutely does. I cannot fathom losing the chance to be here with Jonathan, with Toby, for a whole pile of years.

Anyway, it's really sad and really stupid that this unbelievable thing happened. The drunk was a 26 year-old woman, who was uninjured, and whose life is pretty much wrecked now too, I imagine.