This post is a little different than our typical post. The title says it all:
Life is fragile.
That is something I’ve always believed. We are on this planet for an unbelievably short time. Even if you live to be 100, it is just a fraction of a blink in the grand scheme of things. You must make the most of the time you have. This belief has led me to making several work/life decisions that others considered odd or out of the ordinary.
On our big trip, we stayed with our friends Tommy and Mallory on our final stop of the trip in Abu Dhabi, where Tommy was stationed for his job with Exxon. I went to high school with Tommy, and Alyce went to high school with Mallory. They got a bit of a head start on family life on us and had two beautiful daughters when we visited. Mallory was also newly pregnant with a son when we stayed with them in Abu Dhabi.
Fast forward a couple years…We have our own son and are wrapping up our trip to Italy. Alyce tells me that something sounds bad on facebook our last night in Venice. Mallory is asking for prayers for their son (something we knew was serious based on the people/circumstances involved). Two days later, we are back in New Orleans. Alyce filled me in on the news – Tommy and Mallory’s son, Austin, had passed.
We were both devastated. We know that accidents happen and are a part of life, but that fact doesn’t make it any more palatable when it happens to someone you know. Plus, it hit really close to home considering we have a son just a little bit younger than Austin.
Today we went to Austin’s service, and it was every bit as sad as you would expect. There is really not much you can say in such a circumstance, but I think just being there and giving a hug helps.
So hug your loved ones tight. Don’t put off things for the future that are important to you. You never know what will happen. And keep Austin, Tommy, Mallory, and their girls in your thoughts/prayers.
