I have been wanting to blog and to be honest, I've been blogging in my head for weeks now. So many things I've wanted to share, things I think others should be thinking about, I honestly just don't have the time. Even now, there are other things I should be doing but I've just decided that this is going to be priority (for this nap time at least.)
First on my mind....http://www.wltx.com/news/article/165987/2/Man-is-charged-for-DUI-in-Fatal-Crash-Killing-6-year-old
What a horrible and sad tragedy. This family goes to my church and were headed there when they were hit by a drunk driver on New Year's Day. This family was doing exactly what they should have been doing by starting the new year in God's house, praising him. I actually drove through this intersection today while running errands and I saw the lines painted in the road marking the impact. I had a discussion with Brent about this drunk driver. I explained that he's in his 20's and to be drunk on a Sunday morning around 10:20, I'm going to guess he does not have a family or kids of his own. There is no way he can comprehend what he has done to this family. I'm sure there is grief and regret but to truly know the impact, I believe you have to be a parent. Long ago, before Brent and I even had children, I expressed my desire to have a boy AND a girl. I wanted to experience life with both. I used to joke after having Asher, "Well, if the next one is a boy, then we'll be having a 3rd....well, if the 3rd is a boy, then we'll be having a 4th." I'm not sure how many we would have had
Another story that has moved me recently is that of Ben Breedlove and his sister's speech at his funeral. I know, I know, enough with the sad stuff already but then that's life. Ben got a glimpse of Heaven and he could not explain the peace that he felt there. Our life on earth is filled with sadness and I've mentioned before that our preacher has said, "If you aren't in your storm now, one day you will be..." I daily, and sometimes multiple times daily THANK GOD that all is well in my life. Of my closest family members and friends, none are currently suffering or fighting a life threatening illness. I am so blessed right now, but I know this is my earthly life and unfortunately it brings heartache and loss at times. I know that there is a life after this one. One of my favorite shows is I Survived: Beyond and Back on the Bio Channel. We will see Brent's mom, and Asher and Sloan's Mimi, my dad's parents, all of Brent's grandparents, and so many other's who have accepted Christ and gone on before us. I am comforted to know that when my Storm does come...and it will, that I will not go through it alone. It will not be easy. I will need prayers. But who better to have with me than the God with supernatural powers that can bring supernatural healing. I pray this for the Longstreet and Breedlove families.
The Storm, Casting Crowns
I shared the story of the fatal crash in Lexington with my third graders the other day. They couldn't believe that someone could have had previous DUI arrests and be allowed to drive. Playing the devil's advocate, I asked if people didn't deserve second chances. Almost everyone said NO to DUI. Maybe the kids are right about that. It led to a fantastic "Say No" conversation.
ReplyDeleteI saw the wreck too, right after it happened. The ambulances had come and gone but I could tell from the wreckage that there would have been fatalities. Tragic. Heidi taught me to pray when we here ambulance sirens or see a bad accident. I am so sorry that it was someone you love.
Isn't it odd - but wonderful - how one person's story affects us and makes us FEEL? You hear about people dying needlessly every day, right? Kids dying of starvation, AIDS, the hundreds of thousands of innocents who were killed in Iraq - all of them were worthy and good and had mothers and brothers and friends. All of their survivors felt the pain of losing a loved one. The fact that they are strangers makes their loss so much less to us. But when someone we know dies, we can feel their feel pain differently, more deeply.
Thanks, Kristen. Thanks for feeling.