O DEATH, WHERE IS THEY STING?

It is with a heavy heart I write this.

Our little community has suffered two tragic losses this week. A nine year old girl and a 22 year old young lady were both taken from us much too soon in separate traffic accidents.

I knew the mother of the little girl. She suffered severe injuries in the wreck that claimed her daughter's life.

I did not know the young lady but my heart goes out to the families of both as I could not begin to imagine the pain and loss they are suffering.

But from the outpouring of prayers, love and support shown these two, I have no doubt they are both with our Heavenly Father now.

When I first heard of the little girl's accident, my first thoughts were of my own children. And when they came home from school safely that afternoon, I called them both to my room and hugged them and told them how much I loved them.

My first personal recollection of death was when my grandmother passed away when I was nine years old. My family lived with her and she was basically a second mother to me.

My mother, her daughter, found her one morning on her bedroom floor. She died ten days before Christmas and my ninth birthday. I was devastated and hoped I'd never have to have that feeling again.

But death rose its ugly head again when I was in the fifth grade and my best friend was killed in a horse riding accident. I had other friends but I, for a long time, was lost without my buddy.

A few years later, a teenager I went to church with and was close friends with his brother, was killed in an accident while joy riding with some friends. Once again, I felt the pain of the sting of death.

In high school, I lost several classmates to death. One girl, whose sister was in my class, was killed when she drove a mini-bike into the path of a semi. Another girl drowned while swimming in the ocean on family vacation to Florida. A classmate drowned in three feet of water on a school field trip. A football teammate, who could not swim, drowned trying to learn to swim in a creek.

At my recent 30th class reunion, we counted at least a dozen classmates who had passed away over the years. Almost a tenth of our class of 129 gone.

My freshman year in college, I came home one Friday and waited at the high school to pick up my girlfriend who was on a trip with the band to a football game. She came to me with tears in her eyes and told me that one of her classmates, the brother of one of my classmates, had been killed in a car wreck on the way to the game.

The summer before my junior year in college, a football teammate was killed in a gun related mishap.

And several years ago, my sister gave birth to a stillborn daughter. I visit her grave often and imagine her running around playing in the field behind where she is buried.

There are countless other friends, acquaintances and family members who have gone on to be with the Lord in my lifetime.

I know where death's sting is. It's in the hearts of the loved ones they left behind.

But I take solace in knowing that one day we will all meet again. Until then, I plan to let the people I love know how I feel about them and make the most of the short time we have together here on earth.

And to those who have suffered losses here this week or at any other time in their lives, may God bless and comfort you in your time of sorrow.