Life is fragile, handle with care.........

This Saturday afternoon Richie & I went to his school's football game in Rocky Mount, NC. It was a typical Eastern North Carolina summer day, hot with high humidity. Though it was hot and at times quite uncomfortable, I was thoroughly enjoying the upbeat music. You could tell from the very beginning that this was getting all of the fans ready for the game. This was the NC Wesleyan Bishops first conference game of the season and they desperately wanted a win as last year they went 9-0 within their conference. We definitely wanted to get off to a good start this season after such an incredible strong 2007 season! From the start of the game you could tell that the Bishops were hungry and ready to play some good football. This allowed the fans to get even louder and gave us a lot to cheer about. Not only did the defense start strong but then when the offense got out on the field they went to work and they too got it done.

In the midst of yelling NCW cheers and clapping till our hands were about to go numb, tragedy struck the Methodist Monarchs with only 6 seconds left of the 2nd quarter. All of our hearts stopped as the Monarchs kicker fell to the turf after being hit hard by a Bishops player. As his body laid montionless the crowd gasped for air....... We all waited and waited to see if he was going to recover and walk off the field as many do after a hard hit in football. He was compltely unable to move and the atheletic trainers rushed onto the field to administer support. After awhile it was clear that they were in need of further medical assistance from local paramedics on site. As the ambulance rushed onto the side of the field they were able to put the severely injured Monarch player on the gurney and inside the vehicle. As they drove away the crowd began clapping and praying immediately. The game resumed and a short 6 seconds later it was halftime. Everyone was still at awe of what had happened and there was a silence that had come over many people at the game.

I sat there and I too began to replay what just happened with the Monarch player. I couldn't get the image of this young man's Mother and Father standing over his motionless body out of my mind. This forced me to think about how fragile life is and how each day truly is a gift. It's times like these where you realize it's best not to sweat the small stuff. Not long before the football game I was freaking out over the floors being dirty, the trash needing emptied, and the laundry basket being full. After seeing what happened in the game I realized that the stuff I had to do earlier in the day was not as important as a serious life altering injury. It made me realize how life can change suddenly. We can make plans but then never know what can happen or how they may be changed beyond our control. I pray that my outlook changes with each passing day. I want to live each day as if it could be the last and live my life to the fullest. My prayer is that we all learn to appreciate what we have and that we remember just how fragile life is and that we handle with care, for life is a precious gift.

~LF