thoughts

Death has been all around me lately.  It's the circle of life...some people you know lived a full life and died knowing that (my uncle), some died way before their time (Trey Erwin), and for one precious girl it forever seems imminent (Lucy Krull). 

I was struck the other day (while reading blog after blog, caring bridge after caring bridge) that we can really get burdened down with death.  While blogs and social media are wonderful things, you really get sucked in to the whole story.  (And please know that I do not mean any disrespect when I say this.  I'm just speaking from my heart.) 

As Christians, we should definitely be compassionate and prayerful of the people we know going through sickness.  Definitely, always.  We should not, however, get so burdened down with their stories that we fail to see the good in our own families.  For instance, Thursday when I was reading Trey's caring bridge website and bawling my eyes out, I might have snapped at my kids once or three times.  Yup.  (Please, don't judge.)  Looking back, I'm ashamed at that.  I was then, too, I just didn't see it like I do now.

When did another person's story take precedence over my own children? 

It shouldn't.  That's just it.  And while I am prayerful of people going through sickness, I don't always let myself get so involved.  (Yikes...that sounds selfish, doesn't it?)  Let me explain with a story that my mom-in-love has told me:

Phyllis used to know a lady who was a wife, a mom to multiple kids and she worked full time.  She was involved in everything...including Bible studies.  She was faithful to being in these studies, she was diligent, she never missed.  At some point, she became so engrossed in her Bible study at that time that she failed to pay her kids the required amount of attention. 

Don't you think that this story is sad?  If she couldn't take what she learned from a Bible study and somehow apply it to her life, what was the point in doing the Bible study in the first place?

This is my point with all the sadness that's around me.  I don't want to be so submerged with death and illness that I forget to embrace the life all around me.  This blessed gift of life all around me is evident in my sweet husband, and my four amazing sons.  I don't want to forget about them...I don't want to take a moment for granted with them.

And with all these people mentioned above, I think they would tell me the same thing.  I think they would want us all to remember to live life.  I think they would say to live each moment...the good and the bad.

These are just my thoughts.  Like I mentioned before, I do not mean any disrespect by writing this.  I am just sharing with you what I think God showed me the other day.  I pray that we all take the time to live life in each moment...no matter how big, how small, how seemingly unimportant.  We never know when we might breathe our last, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to have any regrets.

Love to all.