Life is taken so quickly

I arrived at work this morning and started off my morning chats with my coworker just like every other morning. On Mondays, it’s normally a little different because we’re catching up on an entire weekend and not just the few hours we’ve been apart since work the day before. This morning she asked if I had watched the news over the weekend. I must admit, I went to school to be a journalist, but I’m absolutely terrible at watching the news. So, obviously my answer was no.
She went on to update me on an one vehicle accident that left two dead and two injured. I didn’t know any of them personally so that’s not what hit home the hardest. It was the fact that these four are around my age. The oldest was 23 while the youngest was 20. I believe the 22 and 23 year old were the two killed after being ejected from the vehicle.
I’m sitting here just thinking about how much life I still have ahead of me. I’m 22 and I couldn’t imagine not waking up tomorrow morning to a new beginning and to a new adventure. It’s not like those two young men woke up that morning and knew that it would be their last day on earth. It’s not like they told theirselves that today was the day they would leave all their loved ones behind. It happened in a blink of an eye. You don’t get a warning or a sign. It just happens.
From what I read about these two young men, I can only assume that they had big things happening for them now and in the future. They had so much to live for and so much going for them. It’s devastating to know that they had so much life left in them.
My heart goes out to these two families and to all the lives that they touched while they were here on earth. Losing a family member or a friend is one of the hardest things you’ll ever experience in life; especially when the ones that have passed are young adults who still had their entire lives ahead of them. I pray that their families and friends will find comfort in knowing that they are at peace and that they will eventually get to see them again one day. I pray that they will feel God’s love wrap around them during this trying time. I pray that their families and friends will find strength and comfort through each other and that they will heal together.
More importantly, I pray that they will remember these two young men for who they were before the accident. The driver was one of the individuals who were killed. It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but the police believe alcohol was a leading factor in this one vehicle crash. With that being said, if the driver had been driving under the influence, I pray that people will remember him for who he was and not for the decision he made that fateful night. I pray that these guys are remembered for their talents in baseball and football. I pray these guys are remembered for their smiles that could light up an entire room. I pray these guys are remembered for all the good they did for others; for the good times that people spent with them and for the great individuals that they were. They deserve to be remembered for who they were. Their memory shouldn’t be based upon a moment in time when they lacked better judgment. This one moment in their lives should not define them. The millions of good memories that so many hold dear of these two young men should be what define them as individuals.
Honestly, I can’t even begin to say that I understand what these families are feeling right now. I can imagine how they’re feeling but imagining and actually experiencing those feelings are two totally different things. I know people say that time heals all things and to a certain extent, it does. I just pray that within time, these two families will find comfort, peace, an understanding that will be good enough for them, and the ability to wake up every day with a smile instead of the pain that consumes their every waking minute at this moment in time. It’ll take some time but I pray that these families find the strength to move on one day at a time.
For the two other individuals who were injured in the accident, I pray for a speedy recovery! I pray that they have the strength to move forward with their lives. They may be wondering why they made it through that accident while they lost two of their friends. I pray that these two individuals find comfort and love from the people who surround them during this time. I pray these two individuals let this situation make them stronger individuals and that they’ll use this tragedy as a life lesson. They can’t bring their two friends back, but they can help carry on their legacies.
As a young adult myself, there are times in my life when I make decisions telling myself “Oh, that won’t happen to me. That only happens to other people.” We as young adults think that we’re invincible. We always believe that things won’t happen to us. Unfortunately, it’s when we carry ourselves with that type of attitude that tragedy strikes.
Please take into consideration that anything and everything can happen to you. No one is promised a life of ease; a life without tragedy. Horrible situations happen to others all the time, but it could happen to you and your family just as easily as it happened to someone else’s family. No one is ever exempt from life’s harsh curve balls.
Please pray for these families and friends who lost two loved ones early Sunday morning! May they be surrounded by love and comfort through this trying time.