Life is Short!

It is not that I did not know that life was short before. There are always little or huge reminders of this along the road of life. Little things to keep us in check and help us put our priorities straight! Well my family has recently had two very bold reminders that our time on earth is precious and we need to make sure we are making the most of our time here, especially with the ones we love.

In July, my brother Dustin was stabbed! I can not begin to describe the shock, fear, and helplessness I felt when my mom called my home at around 3am. I was half asleep in bed when I heard the phone ring. I thought to myself, "I think my phone is ringing. It seems to be screaming at me!" A couple of minutes later Chris brought the phone into me, telling me my mom needed to talk to me. I knew something was wrong instantly. I was then told that Dustin had been stabbed as was being air-vacked to Good Samaritan Hosp. Chris and I proceeded in a hurry to get ourselves dressed and pack a diaper bag for Brenna. I had no idea what to expect. I didn't know if I was going to get there to find out that he had died, get to say my final goodbyes, or find out that he would be OK. I grabbed my personal phone book so that I could put his name on the Temple pray roll on the way.

Well we got there just in time to find out that he was stabbed in the right side. His liver, diaphragm, and lung were all punctured leaving him struggling for breath as he had a collapsed lung. Chris was able to give him a quick blessing before they rushed him into emergency surgery. It was so scary! I knew he would be OK because of his blessing, but he looked as though he were an inch from death. Luckily the surgery went really well, but it was so hard seeing him all bruised up with a chest tube and an "in-v" tube (or whatever it is called) in the ICU. For the next almost month after getting out of the Hospital he stayed with Chris and I as he recovered. He still has a long way to go, but he is improving almost everyday. We are so fortunate and blessed that he is still alive. I know that Heavenly Father must have a great work for him to do here. I am so grateful that he has pulled through this. He is such as special person who can do so much good. I really can't not put to words the love I have for him. I hope he knows that!

Well if that was not a big enough reminder, my little sister Angela was in a very serious car accident a month and a day after Dustin's stabbing. Coincidentally at pretty much the very moment that I was typing my very first blog. She was on her way home from visiting her boyfriend in Snowflake. The road had just been repaved but the shoulder had not been built up yet and there was no paint. Her passenger side tires went off the road, she knew not to try to over correct, but as she was pulling back up onto the pavement, she accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake. This popped her back onto the road. She then shot across the road, her front tires hit the dirt hard, and she flew in the air at least 30 yards. You can see in the dirt where her passenger side door hit, then she flew back in the air another 30 yard, landed on her hood where her rear window came out, then she was in the air again and finally landed on her tires.

Thankfully, she was able to get herself out of her car and call for help, and walk away from her mangled car basically unscathed. She told me the next day that she could see her car going crazy, but it was like she was still through it all. She remembers everything, including the smell of gas as she was rolling. Her car is totaled. It is just crushed. I know that Heavenly Father had his guarding angels watching over her that night. I am so grateful that it was not her time to go. She is not only my sister, but she is my best friend. I don't know how I would have gotten through a single day without her.

All of this has really made me think. Am I really making the most of everyday? Do I adequately express my love to those around me? I think about the people that I know that have lost loved ones in situations and my heart aches for them on a whole new level. So just a reminder out there to us all: Life is short. Make the most of everyday. Stay close to your loved ones. Let petty things go. Make building a relationship with Heavenly Father your top priority. Stay in tune with the Holy Ghost. And as President Monson, our modern day prophet said in the Aug. message, "May we resolve from this day forward to fill our hearts with love. May we go the extra mile to include in our lives any who are lonely or downhearted or who are suffering in any way. 'May we cheer up the sad and [make] someone feel glad.' May we live so that when that final summons is heard, we may have no serious regrets, no unfinished business, but will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept my faith.'"