It's been almost three years now since I left Parliament Hill and moved here to the Gallery. It's hard to believe how much has happened in that time and all of the directions that us Hill staff have since taken. Political life was hard for me. It can be terribly ruthless at times and I was seldom accustomed to the cut throat environment of people trying to make it to the top.

For the things that I was happy to leave behind, the one thing that I still miss to this day, is many of the people that I came to know. Some of my closest friends were people that I met on the Hill and though we are still friends, I miss seeing them on a day to day basis. Matty, Sarah, Keir, Natalia...all these people made life in the snake pit much more bearable. And I miss them.

One of the greatest blessings from working on the Hill though was another girl I met named Kristy. Looking back, she had such an impact on my life because she came along at time when I needed her most. Kristy was one of the most thoughtful people that I had ever met in my life. She was constantly thinking of others and had such a strong desire to make the world a better place. She came to work in our office for just a couple of days a week and eventually, Kristy and I spent close to five days a week together!! She was such a fun girl and I just adored her spirit.

The morning after I got engaged, I rushed over to Parliament Hill to tell Kristy. We celebrated over Starbucks and I asked her if she would be in my wedding party. She happily agreed and for a number of different reasons, it didn't end up happening. The summer before my wedding was the last time that I saw Kristy. There is a letter that she gave me for my birthday a number of years ago that I still carry around with me to this day, as a reminder of what a blessing she was to my life.

Even though Kristy and I didn't keep in touch, it was fun to hear about her life through other friends. I was thrilled when I heard that she was getting married to her long time boyfriend, Mike. Steve and I had spent quite a bit of time with the two of them and it was always very apparent that their relationship would last a lifetime. For all the goodness that Kristy brought to this world, she deserved nothing more than to live out her fairytale.

On April 23rd, Mike was driving from Ottawa to North Bay when he collided with a moose. He is in critical condition at a Sudbury hopsital with a skull fracture, multiple cuts and bruises, and numerous torn ligaments. He is currently in a medically induced coma and a shunt has been inserted to drain the fluid from his brain.

As a wife, the thought of receiving such a phone call makes me physically sick to my stomach. As someone who knew both Kristy and Mike, the thought of them enduring this makes my heart break.

Please pray for Mike and that the hand of God will heal him and bring him to a quick recovery. Please pray for Kristy and that she will feel the presence of God while she has to endure this. While I know that they are both strong enough to get through this, I wish more than anything that they didn't have to.

Lord, hear our prayers.