in the blink of an eye

Today has been one of those days that makes you realize how precious life is. We started out this morning keeping a really careful eye on the weather because the National Weather Service was predicting really severe weather and possible tornadoes. (By midmorning, a huge tornado did touch down in Yazoo City and did considerable damage and several people lost their lives.) As bad as this may sound, that was somewhat expected...I mean, you always hope that the weather calms down and doesn't get as bad as predicted, but you KNOW that the possibility/probability for severe weather is there when the forecast calls for it.

What wasn't expected was the news that one of Kevin's friend's wife had been killed in a car accident on their property. Kevin got the phone call while we were at my grandmother's for a family reunion. I didn't even know the lady, but the news broke my heart and I can't stop thinking about/praying for the family. She and her husband have a 17 year old son that has special needs that needs round the clock care. They have taken turns caring for him and doing things they need to do (like working and grocery shopping). Please pray for the Roberts' family...they're going to need the strength that only our Comforter can give in the coming weeks.

That news also made me think back to a night almost 5 years ago when I found out that my brother died in a freak 4-wheeler accident. I had been home from my junior year at MC for about a week. Earlier that night, I had gone to a friend's graduation party. I had been home for just a little while and was in a deep sleep when I heard loud knocking at the door. It was about 1:30 and no one knocks on my parents' door at that time of night unless it is an emergency. I waited to see if my mom or dad got up to answer the door, but after another knock, I decided to get up and see what was going on. My uncle and his girlfriend were at the door and he was asking for my mom. I went to my parents' bedroom, but neither of them were there. I was in a fog from being awakened so suddenly and didn't realize that her van wasn't where it was when I got home less that 2 hours before. My uncle didn't tell me at first what had happened...he told me my grandmother was sick and that she needed me to come sit with her until he could find my mom. I went to get dressed and when I came back, he told me the truth. My brother had been killed suddenly after he flipped off his 4-wheeler and it landed on his back. Needless to say, I was in complete shock...the news didn't really sink in until midmorning the next day when people started arriving at the house. I'll never forget that I went from celebrating a happy occasion with friends and in just a few short hours was mourning the loss of my big brother. Even at almost 5 years later, his not being here is strange. When I'm home, I expect him to walk through the door and do something to aggravate me. I still miss him a lot...especially when I see how Mattie Leigh does stuff like he did when we were kids. His death is one of the big reasons that I decided to get a counseling degree.