My mother used to tell me, “Don’t say what wouldn’t do because you never know what you will do when you’re in certain situations.”  For some parts of my life my mother’s statement is true, but there are somethings that I know how I would handle certain situations. Today I am just going to keep it easy, kind of like an update on what I think about life.

On Tuesday June 2, 2009 a boy from my church drowned in the pool at his house. He had been riding his bike and fell into the pool. When his cousin found him, he was unconscious and his mother tried to resuscitate him.  Due to the nature of the situation the ambulance arrived and took him to the nearest hospital where they were able to revive him. The boy was 4. All everyone could think of was how soon it had happened and that just the Sunday prior we had seen him.

Fast forward to today when you see both his parents in service, not as spectators but at their posts. They pushed through all of their hurt and pain not only to attend church but to maintain their regular duties in service. His mother is on the praise dance team and she danced this morning, as I spoke to one of the other dance team members he told me that they always dance no matter what. He told me that the coordinator said it’s the best way to release. I thought about how sometimes you have to continue your regular commitments in times of anguish and pain just to maintain. And with the support of their family and church family they seemingly made it through a very hard day.

As my sister and I were driving in the car I said to her, “they don’t know who they touched by just being at service today not to mention participating.” It took my mind back to watching an episode of Run’s House when his wife delivered her third child only to have her third child die soon after. I was amazed by their strength and the will to press forward despite an undisputedly hard time. The strength in both families has touched me in so many ways. I thought about how the things I once counted as trials are really not, they merely speed bumps. The difference a trial is something that is long and drawn out and intense; a speed bump slows you on your way to somewhere else.

I thought about a conversation I had with a friend of mine about what I want in a person in my life and I don’t recall if I said anything about strength, but after the events of this week I have seen a side of strength that I cannot life without. I say this because sometimes life brings you trials and obstacles and if someone in your life cannot have to strength to build you up when you are broken down it makes for a useless friendship, relationship, or partnership. I saw the support that came from within and it amazed me in their times of sorrow. What I saw is not taught, it is cultivated. This has shown me that undoubtedly bad things will happened but it is important how you rebound because it shows what is truly inside of you.

Retrospectively drinking in Byron Cage’s I need you now with gold dazzle.