Making Sense of It All.......

Like me, many of you are consumed with the "Stephanie and Christian" story. We think about it constantly, we talk about it in our circles, we put ourselves in their shoes wondering what we would do. (see c jane link at right for details.) I had the pleasure of meeting her in person and spending an afternoon just talking about being a mother and our testimonies. I have learned from her and am continuing to learn from her.I know that our trials in life are not merely tests to see if we can simply "pass", they are put there to make us stronger, to see what our potential in life can be. Stephanie and Christian are amazing people along with their family members and we are all amazed by their strength and love for each other. But, if we just talk about them, think about them and wonder about them, their sacrifice doesn't make sense. What are WE doing with this? This is the question I have been asking myself. I am here, I have the ability to take care of my children, to serve others. My hands are available and able to serve. What are WE doing with them. What are WE doing to appreciate the simple fact that we can get up every morning and live life. Does it take a tragedy in our lives to appreciate that fact? I know the thing we all admire so much about Stephanie and why we loved her blog was the fact that she loved life before the tragedy. She lived it to the fullest in all the smallest ways. I want to be like her. I want my family and all around me to know that I loved everything about my life and would do anything to help another person. This takes work and because of Stephanie and Christian I am going to do better. I want to make sense of this tragedy by learning from them and how they lived life. Their sacrifice has to mean something. It can't just be a story to follow. I am going to do better. I am going to try to be thankful everyday for everything. The fact that I had fresh blackberry compote today made by my daughter with berries picked at the cabin, the fact that my husband is at the skatepark with my boys dropping into the "big bowl" with them in the attempt to bond with them on their level ,and the fact that Tate has not bitten me on my butt yet this morning. The little things. Thank you Stephanie for continuing to teach me beyond our afternoon together.