Wendy
Gerlach
Sarah
has been babysitting for me ever since I moved here five years ago.
She was basically my only sitter, since it was impossible to find
any other sitter who could compare. Sarah had a confidence and poise
that made it easy for her to be in charge. There was lots of time
left over for her to have a good time with the children—and
they did some amazing projects. I’d come home and find they’d
written books—once a hard-bound book of poetry—or made
monster cards, or produced a movie (we have Sarah as an actress on
film). They wrote comic strips, played Monopoly, made a cardboard
jungle for the Lego men. She always made my children feel like valuable
people that she wanted to spend time with.
For
me, Sarah was almost a co-parent. Since I’ve been single all
this time, she was one of the few people with whom I could discuss
my children—their traits, their development, what issues needed
work. I admired and respected her experience and skill in dealing
with children and teenagers. I heard her counseling runaways on the
phone a couple of times, and heard how her generous intelligence helped
the person on the other end of the line.
I felt,
and still feel, lucky to have had Sarah spend so much time with me
and my children. Her time with us was a gift to our family. I of course
hoped that she’d continue to be there. Even with this tragic
loss, I appreciate so much what she gave to us over the past five
years.
My heart
goes out to you in your loss of a daughter who was one of the brightest,
finest, kindest people I have been lucky to know. I thank you, as
her parents, for the person who provided so much fun, guidance, and
support to us. I hope she knew how much she meant to us.
