A breath away...

That's all that stands between now and eternity. Today is going to be a long day for the Middleburgh community, school and extended family and friends of a young man who passed away yesterday. Sometimes, when you look back on an entire year you see how quickly it can go and fragile life is. No one holds a baby in their arms and wonders if by the time he graduates high school he will be facing the end of his life. That's hard stuff.

No one marries their true love wondering what will happen when they suffer a traumatic brain injury and no one expects that when their kiddo takes off in his car that the next phone call will be about the crash that followed one precarious turn in the road.

I could go on and on about people special to me or special to people close to me that have suffered enormous hurt this year. Heartache is only a breath away.

So. today. In the rush of the days events, breathe in and breathe out...and be thankful for that very miracle. Tonight, when you put your kids to sleep, put your cheek on their chest and listen to the rise and fall of their breathing, kiss your loved ones, say your sorry, pass out a few free hugs and perhaps most importantly, open your Bible and decide what this life (as quickly lived as it can be) is about. God knows the heartache, the soul searching, the aches in the pains, so His love is the only substance gracious enough to fall into. Reconcile your heart, For God so loved the world... it's a popular verse because it's true...but we are to choose Him. Now, when the hearts are weak and perspective is ripened with the curse of reality, God is there.