Friday, March 30, 2007

Life Changes Our Lives In An Instant

A week ago, Bob had a mini-stroke... Life may never be the same...

Two days ago, an 18 yr old girl was killed in a car wreck on I-65 North around the Armory Place exit. Her boyfriend was driving. She was sitting in the back behind him, without her seatbelt on. It was raining. The vehicle hydroplaned, throwing the vehicle around and crashing it against the concrete wall. She was the only one in the car who was killed. This girl was saved when she was 10. She was a member of my church. Her dad is my age. She is the same age of my twin nephews. And a little older than one of my granddaughters. Her older brother came by the church that day. Three hours later, his life changed. Kristin was a senior at Brentwood High. She was talking Junior/Senior Prom. She was talking college. This beautiful girl's life came to a sudden end. She had no idea. Her parents had no idea. None of us knew that on Sunday we would be having her funeral at the church. This was my number one fear when my kids were growing up. I feared them being in a wreck and killed at an early age. It didn't happen to me. It happened to David and Sherie. How do they go on? At this moment, I can't think of anything sadder in the whole world. You have a child, you get them to the point of high school graduation and college, and starting life outside... in the world...and the dreams... the dreams come to a sudden stop. With reminders all around, how do you keep going?

This has to be a God thing. This has to be the time when you need faith like you've never needed it before. Sherie couldn't think as she tried to plan her daughter's funeral. What came to her first, was music... Music she remembered from choir. The men's quartet singing GENTLE SHEPHERD and Dennis singing I CAN ONLY IMAGINE. Music... Music is a great way to praise God. Music is a great way to worship. Music can comfort the soul. Music can bring peace. When Rod sings on Sunday, he will sing as a first time dad to a beautiful baby girl 2 mo. old. He will want to hold her a little closer. He will want to protect her. If only we could do that for our children for always...

I won't be there. But I will be thinking of them. I will be praying. I will pray for Kristin's parents and her brothers, and her friends who will be there in shock. They won't understand.

I don't understand.