Life is short and there's no time to harbor grudges or live with regrets, especially since life is fragile and can be cut short long before you ever expect it to. When I was younger I always hated leaving for school if I'd had cross words with my mom, and it would eat at me all day. Sometimes I'd think, "How would I feel if Mom died in a car accident today and the last words I said to her were less than kind?" If that had happened I know jt would've haunted me every day for the rest of my life and would be a huge source of regret.
There have been two tragedies in the past week that are an example of how fragile life is and how nothing is life is certain. Last week an eight car train crashed in Spain. The train crashed when its rails came off the tracks while going round a curve. At the time of the crash the train was going 95 mph, nearly TWICE the 50 mph speed limit. The driver, 53-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, was reportedly obsessed with speed. Moments before the accident happened the driver took a call from another train employee and was on the phone when the crash happened. 79 of the 218 passengers on board lost their life
There have been two tragedies in the past week that are an example of how fragile life is and how nothing is life is certain. Last week an eight car train crashed in Spain. The train crashed when its rails came off the tracks while going round a curve. At the time of the crash the train was going 95 mph, nearly TWICE the 50 mph speed limit. The driver, 53-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, was reportedly obsessed with speed. Moments before the accident happened the driver took a call from another train employee and was on the phone when the crash happened. 79 of the 218 passengers on board lost their life
Below is a pic of Chad and Courtney Phelps. Last Saturday they were killed in a bus accident. Chad was a youth pastor and he and his wife were on a bus with a bunch of kids from church and were returning home from a week at camp. The accident happened just one mile from the church when the brakes gave out on the exit ramp. The saddest thing has to be that Courtney was 8 months pregnant with their second child, and that they leave behind a two-year-old son, Chase. My heart breaks for him having to grow up without his parents. I'm sure he has loving family members that will step up to raise him, but let's face it, it's just not the same.
If/when Chandra and I argue (which happens occasionally) we always patch it up by saying, "Let's bury the hatchet." It's even become a joke between the two of us, and sometimes I'll say it even when there's been no argument, just to make her laugh. All kidding aside, though, I always make an effort to mend my fences ASAP, just because I know from personal experience that accidents happen when you least expect them, and I know that God sometimes calls His children home sooner than we may expect.
3 comments:
I found this very touching.
These accidents were awful & so many innocent people lost their lives.
My heart breaks for little Chase. How on earth do you explain to a 2 year old that their Mum & Dad is never coming back? I hope they don't tell him they've "gone away" as he might think they're just gone on holiday & might come back.
In December '99 my Mum died of a blood clot on the lung, which was very sudden & had no warning. The shock was terrible, especially for my Dad - they'd been married over 46 years.
Even tho people told us where she was it didn't make it easier, in fact it made it worse as we didn't care where she was, we wanted my Mum with us.
One of the things my Mum, Dad & myself always said at night was "Goodnight, God Bless, Sleep well" & if anyone said anything after that we had to say it again!!! This was even more so after my Mum died. (We probably sounded like The Waltons at times:))
My Dad & I kept each other going after my Mum died but we were very much alike in temptement & clashed at times. We always apologised tho & didn't hold grudges.
As you say, life is precious & anything can happen - like with my Mum & your accident. I thank Heavenly Father for all the blessings I have each day.
Thank you again for a brill blog & your great example.
Julie,
Thank you for always leaving such sweet comments, I love them! My mom and I love how you say thanks for a "brill" blog. It is so very British!
Thanks for sharing your story about your mom, or "mum" as you say! :) I bet it was really traumatic to lose her so unexpectedly. My dad died of cancer in '99, but I at least knew that he was going to die. I think losing someone unexpectedly would be much worse.
Thanks for being a faithful reader of my blog!
Hi Heather!
I really love your blog and you have truly been an inspiration for me. Nevertheless I have felt a bit uncomfortable when reading this post because of the acusatory and judgmental tone you have been using when talking about the driver when you don't even have gotten the facts correctly.
I don't mean to be rude or anything but I am a firm believer in the principle that everyone is innocent until proven guilty and that nobody deserves to be harshly judged when we really don't know yet what happened.
Greetings from Spain!
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