I have at least two entire entries of summer fun to post, but they will have to wait for another day. Today I am feeling retrospective. This month, one year ago, the lives of my family changed forever. In a tragic plane crash my Uncle David Ben and cousin Cecilee were killed. They were taking off out of Moab, UT. The plane never reached altitude. It barely made it off the ground.
(on the left is the plaque, on the right is Zoe with Nana Ann and Danny, her father)
A few moths ago they had a memorial service and placed a plaque on a large boulder at the crash site. It was surreal sitting where the rubble had once been. To see the burn marks on the surrounding dirt and rocks.
(the crash site and location of the memorial)
I actually picked up a small burned rock and brought it home. It reminds me daily of what is most important. God and my family. As I sat at the service and watched Zoe, Cecilee's daughter, I cried again thinking how unfair it is for that little girl to not really know her mom. And how unfair it is to not really know her sweet, kind grandpa. I know that nobody said this life was fair or even made sense, but sometimes it's hard when that reality hits you in the face. Saturday was Cecilee's 32nd birthday. She was here to celebrate with a beautiful cake covered in strawberries last year. This year her mom, sister and brother are together in Florida for Yorke's graduation, remembering. This life can change in a flash! How important it is to remember who we are, where we come from and where we are going ultimately. We all know that there is only one way out of this life, but death is almost always unexpected.Today, in the wee hours of the morning, a sweet woman left this earth. She was fighting cancer but pneumonia is the battle she lost. At only 67 she was too young and beautiful to die. Again, not fair. For a dear friend of ours, this sweet woman is her mother. They brought their daughter to our house so that they could take the time to begin the necessary funeral arrangements. A tired, almost 2 year old is not very patient at times like these, so we are gladly playing with her.
How grateful I am to be able to help when I can. And how grateful I am for family and friends who are willing to ask for help. We are all blessed for it.
I am also grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ (click here for more on what we believe) that lets us know how we can be together forever. How could one manage without that knowledge? The gospel is for everyone! Old, young, wise, uneducated, illiterate, intelligent. Whatever station of life you are in, Jesus Christ invites you come unto to Him. It is not something that gets old or you can outgrow. It grows with you, strengthens you, and becomes new as you are willing to be open to His love and counsel.
My heart breaks for my dear friends, but there is also joy in knowing that she is happy and cared for. My heart continues to break for my family as they continue the process of healing from such a loss. Nothing is ever the same again. A new normal is developed. Thankfully, God is there to help us on that path.
