Thursday, April 29, 2010

Profound

There are times in life when things happen that are fantastic, then there are other times where your world can be shattered in an instant. My immediate world hasn't been shattered, but it has really been shaken. Yesterday, a young sister and brother of some family friends were killed in a car accident on their way to school. In one split second that families world was turned upside down and nothing will ever be the same for them or their close friend. It is profound to think how life changes, and how other people's lives can change yours. As a parent you always want to keep your children safe and protect them, while loving them at the same time. I never understood this really until yesterday. I mean I love my children and want to keep them safe, but I never really thought about how hard it can be to do this. When we were younger my brother and sister and I used to beg my dad to let me drive them around and we didn't see what the big deal was, but he always held fast and would not let us ride together. I think now it still makes him a little nervous when we all go off together, but we are allowed to. I didn't understand fully why he wouldn't let us ride together until yesterday. I get it now, his "insanity" was his way of trying to keep us safe. It makes me sad that this tragedy had to occur for me to see why my dad did this and it makes me think about my future and how I am going to keep the girls safe as they grow. Aside from never letting them leave the house there are no hard fast guarantees to safety, but I hope that I am able to pass on some of the wisdom that my parents gave me, to them. I also hope that this feeling I have now of deep sadness, loss and confusion, pass soon, but at the same time stick with me and remind me that life can change in the blink of an eye and that you can't take the one's you love for granted, you have to live each day like it is your last and treat people with love and respect. My heart is breaking for this family and I hope they find peace soon and they are in my thoughts and I am grieving with them over their loss.