Teen Tragedy

What is the right thing to do and say when you find out the child of someone you know has just been killed in a tragic car accident? It's a story we've heard over and over again: a bunch of teenagers in a car. Nighttime. Speeding. A loss of control. Two are killed. They are 17 years old. Sitting on the cusp of bright futures, the world at their feet. I want to rush over to their house and hug them but I barely know them. I want to cry with the mother but she hardly knows my name. I want to offer sweet memories of their daughter but I've only met her once, years ago. But my son is also 17. He feels immortal, as teenagers do. Their daughter probably felt immortal too. That is what it means to be a teenager. All glory and anticipation. But this family. What comfort can I offer, as I sit here with my darling children safely around me?