Tampa Rally Stop

Crossing over the courtney campbell bridge seeing ahead our destination I had a deep sense of returning to a familiar  place not only a visual "I have been there searching for Kelly", but my home, my area I grew up as a child, my sense of family. You see I was born only miles away from where she vanished, I practically lived at all the beaches growing up to include the one she lived on and most of my family still lives in the area with even both of my parents buried nearby; this is home to me and coming back to help my community means a lot. But the reality of a missing person is in every town, community and each state, it touches everyone or will one time or another. It bothers me greatly that before I arrived on the case that this woman who was a few weeks away from being a police officer did not get the national news coverage, and only a few searches conducted...it bothers me that people were not in an uproar about her disappearance, the burden for that was left on her friends and family, only? I know deep down the investigators want to solve the case, find Kelly Rothwell, but it has to be more than about just the investigation, then I get angry, not at them but at the system in which we are guilty of accepting. Then I have to refocus, her loved ones are waiting, we are honoring this missing woman today, sending out a tribute, crying out to God for guidance, keeping hope alive. I stand in awl on the muggy morning, approached with hugs and there not far away the butterflies setting out begging for flight, table covered in flowers and there picture after picture of this peaceful smile; you would have never guessed her life was not happy. After we listened to the start of the song, I fought back tears as this song already meant something in my life before and became a favorite of mine, no one knew that, I could related to its message for sure. The release of the butterflies made me think of Morgan Harrington, a young girl whose life was cut short by an abduction in Virginia and last year we released butterflies in honor of her...I smile and send up a wish for Kelly to be found and one for Morgan that her family would see justice. Then to the waters edge, we threw flowers in the water way, I noticed it was low tide; searching for 11 days for this woman I camped on the tide chart for these waters, even though I dislike that body of water I find myself in somewhat of a peaceful state there. I meet a woman who came from Canada and told me her story of her unsolved homicide "her 10 year old brother", that stuck with me throughout the day. As we were leaving I felt okay because Donna, her best friend was there, she is one of us, determined, so I did not feel like I was leaving Kelly behind, I know I will return soon  and Donna knows that too. Minutes down the road onward to our next stop the fog is lifting, bright sun is burning through, I had to separate my emotions to focus on the next stop....there will be numerous families there waiting and I will need to be strong, I already feel different today, the tour is draining on me a little and I feel like I may need to cry.
Monica