Last night while enjoying an early birthday dinner with our daughter and her boyfriend we got a disturbing text message from our son. He asked if we had heard any news about a tragedy. Of course when you are asked a question like that you stop what you are doing and quickly grab the phone to check out social media. It is amazing that we hear good and bad news in such an impersonal way.

A young lady whose family has been part of our lives for over 20 years had just lost her fiancé. This is a family whom we have loved, we have laughed together, worked together in church endeavors, and watched our children progress from toddlers to wonderful young adults with the amazing potential for happy, complete lives.

Sadly, one of these lives has been altered in a way that none of us can comprehend. Lindsey’s fiancé had not been feeling well, he had gone to doctors, he had various tests performed but no definitive answers. Sadly he passed in his sleep on Saturday morning. He was 30 years old, he was kind, thoughtful, smart and the love of Lindsey’s young life. They had made plans, they had dreams!

Now all of the dreams have crashed! Her mother and father are devastated! They lost someone they love but they also have to try to console their daughter. What do you say, how do you ease the pain when your own pain is so intense? How do you answer the questions, why? How do you not lose faith? How do you continue when your life as you know it has been snatched away in such a sudden and devastating way?

My heart is breaking for them all. I have no words to offer them, I can only call and remind them that they are loved by many.

So remember to never take for granted the people you love – life is fragile and can be hard with questions that we can not answer.

We will continue to pray for the family of my friends and to pray for all of the people who have lost this young man. I will pray that they can find peace and that they will find the answers as to why this happened.

Remember Be Kind…
Hold the people that you love close,

Faith