Sudden Tragedy In Friend's Family

It's been a weird few days.

I've been trying to process a lot of thoughts these days - thoughts I want to share but cannot seem to find the words. 

Monday I found out a good college friend--my sophomore year RA {resident assistant}--and her family were mourning the devastating tragic accidental shooting death of their 7-year old daughter.

Here's the story.

I'm so heartbroken for them it's been hard to think of anything else. Over and over in my mind I weep and pray for them.

And in light of that situation, nothing else really seems to matter.

Mind-boggling.

Startling.

Faith-shaking.

Everything else in life seems so trivial all of a sudden.

Shock.

My niece Olivia is 7.

Reminder of how fleeting this life really is.

It's the most commented thing I've ever had on my Facebook page. People everywhere are rallying around this family, lifting them up in prayer. One of my coworkers with 7 kids was so shaken by this he came to my office and just sat there shaking his head for a minute. He even offered to do whatever he could for them.

My childhood church's music pastor for many years until they moved away a couple years ago lives in this same town. They got in touch with me on Facebook about it. That pastor's wife even remembered meeting this young girl a few days earlier at a Bible club.

Amazing.

So even in the shock and heartbreak for them, we see God's goodness. We are reminded that he's in control even when the skies are gray.

And we just can't even imagine the sheer devastation that family is feeling.

Like the feelings Steven Curtis Chapman's family felt when their daughter was accidentally killed at their home as well.

God is good. Right now we're just praying his presence is deeply felt and known by this family as they struggle to grasp all that has happened.

Instead of totally attempting to make any real sense of my thoughts here, I wanted to share with you a song that's been going over and over in my head, and replayed over and over on my Grooveshark stream.

Currently this song is blaring from my laptop as I chill out on our recliner under a warm blanket and sipping hot caramel vanilla tea, waiting for hubster to get home from work. I woke up this morning feeling sick and definitely fear I caught a cold or sinus infection, both of which have been going around work and loved ones. It's inevitable it seems, I always manage to catch something. But I've actually done really well with it this year, so I'm pretty proud of myself! March wouldn't be March if I didn't get something!

Anyway, I hope this song blesses you as much as it does me. It's by Revive and it's called Blink:

Teach me to number my days
And count every moment before it slips away
Taking all the colors before they fade to gray
I don't want to miss even just a second more of this

It happens in a blink
It happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life
It happens in a blink

When it's all said and done
No one remembers how far we have run
The only thing that matters is how we have loved
I don't want to miss even just a second more of this

It happens in a blink
it happens in a flash
it happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life
It happens in a blink

Slow down, slow down
Before today becomes our yesterday
Slow down, slow down
Before you turn around and it's too late

It happens in a blink
it happens in a flash
it happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life
It happens in a blink

Lyrics from onlylyrics.com

To hear it, check out the video on YouTube {more for sound than the actual video}

Slow down.

Life really does just happen in a blink.

And then we're gone.


What have you done with your life today?