Today is the first day of the:
Blogfest!
Today's theme is supposed to be: Tell you something about myself. Well, I am going to tell you something I experienced recently. I am sorry in advance, it's a little sad.
Many, many things have happend this April (yes, I know this is the first of May), but I want to share something with you that was devastating to many people in my community, even though I didn't personally know the person I will talk about next.
I am from a small town, I know a lot of you know how that is--you know everyone, and even if you don't, it's like...when anything happens to anyone there it's as if they are "one of you." It touches you, hurts, you even. Well, a man in his late thirties whose stepson I worked with, died in a terrible car accident. He lived for about two days after. I'm not sure if he regained consciouness. I don't know how many goodbyes he heard. I'm not actually sure of anything except that there was a terrible, terrible car accident and he passed away.
This reminded me of my friend Ben who passed away after being in a terrible car accident the day after he graduated from High School. The day after. I had just seen him. Never expected that the motorcyle wreck the week before might have foreshadowed his death. Unfortuantely, life doesn't work like a novel. You aren't going to expect things. Half his friends were in Italy when he died. The rest of us went to his funeral. Never would I have thought his life would have been taken so suddenly, even though I know two mothers who lost their sons previously and unexpecedly. My point--it happens all the time, but you never expect things to happen to you.
You don't think about how short life is sometimes. Sometimes you don't even think about whether or not you'll see your boyfriend, husband, bestfriend, even child tomorrow. You take this as a given. You take it for granted, but life doesn't. God doesn't. Whoever you believe in, or what you don't believe in--they don't take life for granted.
I would never sadden anyone intentionally, but this really struck a chord with me, and I thought about why I alway feel like I'm running out of time. It's because really...life is short. If I don't do what I want now...if I don't try, what will I regret later? What kind of legacy will I leave with settling? With not trying to live my dreams, or achieve my dreams?
It's an old, perhaps cliche saying, but don't forget: don't take life for granted. Follow your dreams. Remember that everyday is really a gift. Everything DOES work out in the end, and most importantly--you are the only one who can make changes in your life. So if you are unhappy, do something about it.
I love you all. <3
Thanks for sharing that, Ashley. Ironically, my 7th-grader got into the car after school yesterday and announced that a 6th-grader at her school had died that day. It didn't seem to affect my daughter the way I thought it should have, probably because she didn't know the 6th-grader personally. But you are right--we don't know how much time we have, so we must "work while it is day" because "the night cometh when no man can work." (John 9:4)
ReplyDeleteSomething we should all remember, for sure. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLoss and grief are hard, largely because of how unexpected it is, but I'm afraid even with the expectation, the loss is still devastating.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that this happened. We all have a story about a friend who died in a car accident. I've taught geologic hazards, and one of the things we always compare the likelihood of dying by volcano/earthquake/tsunami to is car accidents. In a fifty year time span, 1 in 150 people will die from a car accident. That's a really scary number to students in a lecture hall of 200.
This is a great message (even if it comes in a sad shell), thank you for sharing! It's so true, we can never take anything for granted. Every day needs to be lived at its fullest because who knows how many more of these days you have. And every day you should tell your loved ones that you love them - so there's never a regret if something happens that you didn't tell them.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for your losses. I think we all have known people who died suddenly and tragically. My uncle, my great-great-grandpap and his co-worker, and the little brother of an elementary school friend all died in vehicle-related accidents. I almost died when I was 23, and everyone said to me it was a miracle the worst I got were a broken leg and some first- and second-degree burns after being run over by a car and pinned underneath.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Ashley and for the very important reminder! Sometimes we get lost in the daily tasks, in the possible grumbling and it´s necessary to step back and realize what is in our hands.
ReplyDeleteYes, what you shared is so sad, but also so important to remind us not to waste what time we have. We can't live in fear of death - its coming whether we fear it, ignore it, or embrace it. We celebrate those who have passed on by living life to its fullest. Hugs to you and your community!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I'm sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for your loss. One of my high school classmates, a successful surgeon, passed away unexpectedly two weeks ago. She was the second from my old AP English class to pass away before our 20th reunion. It's always a shock and a sobering reminder of how fragile life is. Your message is an important one, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this. You're absolutely right: we shouldn't waste whatever time we have.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sad. I didn't hear about this person who passed away in April until now. My thoughts and prayers go to his family. Almost every time I think about Ben I cry,it saddens me so, I knew him, but not as well as others and we hung out after school that day and we talked on the phone that night. I found out at work what happened. I thought we were going to be better friends, get to know each other better. That didn't happen. I know at any second me or one of my loved ones could pass away, I love them and am grateful for them and for the lives we have, but I don't worry about it all the time, because I don't want to fear for them or myself all the time, that feeling is a horrible one for me. I love you. -Jennifer Chezem
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