Learning from tragedy

This is a difficult post to write, because usually topics on this blog are more lighthearted and positive.  But I am going to try to turn a tragic situation into one I hope to learn from, and maybe other readers will as well.

Friday night, my 2-year-old son, my mom and myself attended a hayride at the Orr Family Farm.  On the same ride as us was an 18-month-old girl and her mom.  My son and this little girl were picking out pumpkins in a pumpkin patch just five minutes before both our worlds were changed forever. We were witnesses to that little girl tragically losing her life immediately following that very ride.

This has been a near impossible thing to wrap my mind around.  It’s something that causes shock and disbelief one minute, and despair and sympathy the next.  It’s something I never thought I would have to see, and now is something I’ll see for the rest of my life.  I can’t begin to imagine what her parents are going through and my heart and prayers have been with them since. Their lives are changed in ways I can never imagine.

I took a very hard lesson that night.  Life really is so very fragile. The unthinkable can happen in a split second. Treat every moment with your children and family as a precious gift, because that is what it is. Give those you love an extra long hug and extra big smile next time you see them.  Tell them you love them, and love them unconditionally.

If you’d like to know more about Zoe Madeline Montgomery, please click here: NewsOK.com. And please keep her parents in your thoughts and prayers.

~Erica Smith

esmith@opubco.com

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