Because You Just Never Know!

Two extremely high profile traffic accidents took place in the Fresno area within the last few days.  Saturday night, a mom and her four children were headed to celebrate one of the kids birthday when they were killed after another driver apparently ran through a stop sign and struck their vehicle.  Her husband and the father of the children was in another vehicle behind them and desperately tried to save them from their vehicle that had exploded into flames.  Now this man is left to carry on without his wife and children.  Monday morning two California Patrol Officers were killed when they crashed while responding to an accident.  The victims in both collisions left behind friends and family and the officers also left behind their brothers and sisters in the law enforcement and first responder community.

I could not help but think about a few things as a result of these tragedies.  I'm sure the man who lost his family never thought he was seeing his family alive for the last time when they got into their vehicles to go celebrate.  The nature of law enforcement work makes the possibility of severe injury or death more likely, but I imagine the families of those officers fully expected them to return home following their shift.  I am guilty of taking life for granted.  I am guilty of taking my family and friends for granted.  Every time our family members walk out of the door to go to work, to go shopping or simply to walk down the street to get the mail, there is the potential that it could be the last time we see them alive.  Certainly we would do things differently if we knew that we would no longer see them again, but we live under the constant assumption that they will return every time.

So today, I dedicate this post to the memory of the victims of these tragic accidents and encourage you to join me and learn something from these horrific accidents.  Think about it next time you are about to leave the house angry at your spouse or a family member.  Think about it when you have an argument with a friend and walk away in anger.  Think about it as you pack your kids up for school in the morning and are too busy to hug and kiss them goodbye.  Think about it seriously, because you just never know when that goodbye will be the final goodbye.