In an Instant

Your life can change. In an instant.  I was quickly reminded of that this week and how precious life with our loved ones is.  Today, I had the unfortunate task of attending a funeral for a 2 1/2 year old that was tragically killed in a car accident on Easter Sunday.  One minute he was alive hunting eggs and attending a church carnival, then a few hours later he was gone in an instant.  What a heart-breaking thing to even think about.  After I saw the news all over Facebook Sunday evening, our classmates (and the rest of our small tight-night community) showed an outpouring of prayers and love for the parents.  I can't even fathom what I would do if one of my boys were taken away.  As I sat weeping at the funeral this morning, I couldn't help but having so much admiration and respect for how the parents were handling the situation and turning towards their faith for peace and comfort.  The father even stood for about 15 minutes giving a sermon and sharing memories of their sweet little Eli.  He emphasized the fact that we are all in a hurry in life, but need to take time to be the best parents we can and focus on the important things in life. And not to take any moments with our loved ones for granted.

I'm not a super-religious person and don't attend church nearly as often as I would like to, but I'm still a Christian.  I can't spout off 100 bible verses by memory, but I still know where I stand with the Lord. I know that God has plans that we may not always understand and we have to trust in Him and lean on Him, especially in difficult times.  I've been upset all week thinking about the pain that this family was going through.  I'm definitely hugging my boys extra tight tonight and thanking the Lord for each and every minute that I get to have with them.  They truly are my everything, and I try to be the best parent and role model possible for them.

I'm not perfect and have never claimed to be.  My kids are in no way perfect; they throw tantrums, talk back to me, and have an occasional 'scuffle' at school. But I love them unconditionally no matter what.  I don't have a perfect marriage.  Jordan and I have our fair share of arguments, but we love each other and are committed to making our marriage last a lifetime and hope to provide an example of a healthy relationship to our boys.  I don't think that we're better than anybody.  But we are proud of the fact that we both worked our way through college, paid for our own schooling (and will still be paying for many years to come), have good jobs, and have worked hard to provide for our family and live a comfortable life.  We have flaws and strive everyday to be the best parents we can for the boys and make decisions that have their best interest at heart.  Those are decisions that we have thought about and prayed about and are difficult at times.  We love our boys and would lay our life down for them in a heartbeat.  We're thankful for the wonderful support system of family and friends that we and the boys have, and will continue to cherish every moment we have with them.  Life is precious and we don't take anything for granted. 

Please continue to keep this grieving family in your prayers as they move forward in the difficult days/months ahead.  In light of their loss, I will continue to strive to be a better parent and treasure our time together.