In The Blink Of An Eye

I was feeling a little anxious last Friday night because a helicopter was doing wide circles over the area I live in. I mentioned to Kevin that something bad must have happened and that it must be waiting to land to transport people to the hospital. I went on with my evening without thinking much more about it.
On Sunday morning I received an email that two young boys had been in a horrific accident and had been killed. The accident also included the boys' parents, and was caused by two drunk teenagers who plowed through a stop sign, and hit the car containing this family. You can read more about the accident HERE. With some further reading we found out that one of the boys that was killed was Tanner's team mate on the Desert Ridge 10/11 year old All Star Team last summer. I haven't slept very well for the past two nights thinking about how this little family will never be the same. My heart aches for them. CJ was such a cutie...the smallest boy on the all star team with the BIGGEST smile. His hat was huge on his head, but he still wore it proudly. His darling little brother, Nolan, was there every day cheering his brother on. Kevin and I would complain, with CJ's parents, about poor calls from the umps, and then re-hash the game together once it was over. It's amazing how quickly everything can change. It's amazing how very "mortal" I've felt over the past couple of days. That may sound silly, but it's just the way I've felt...like a reminder that I'm not the one in control of my time here on earth. Sure, every decision I make will affect that, but God is ultimately in control of my timeline here...as He is with everyone.

As I was talking about CJ's death with Tanner last night we got to talk about how thankful we are, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, that our families can be eternal, and that death is just a temporary separation from those we love. I can't imagine how it would be to believe that death is the end. I'm so thankful for the knowledge I have of the plan of salvation, and of my Savior. And, even though the death of loved ones is extremely painful, I have this to comfort me and help me move on. The Smith family will be in my prayers. CJ will certainly be missed as we get ready to begin a new Little League season.