Long Week

It's been a weird, long and emotionally exhausting week. Monday was great, it was a nice day here and the sun was out. Tuesday came, school was cancelled and we were snowed in which wasn't so bad until early afternoon. I got a call from Brad's mom shortly before 1:00 that Lauren's, (our niece) close friend (on/off boyfriend) had been killed in a car accident. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Since Lauren started high school, there have been at least 3 students that I could remember that she has had to say good bye to. She is a senior this year and is preparing to attend college here in Fort Wayne at IPFW. She is a great girl and is headed in the right direction but has had to deal with so many obstacles and now this loss, I felt, could really set her back.

My heart just aches for her. This was her first love! The minute I heard the news, memories flooded back to when Jason was killed and how that affected my sister. I have never had to personally go through something like that (pray I never do) but this is the second time I've been a close relative to someone that has. Titus was such a nice kid. He had been to our house once or twice and was always polite and very respectful. Brad and I really liked him and thought a lot of him. This is really something coming from us as we joke that we must be getting old, we just don't understand teenagers right now. Hopefully, we'll get that figured out before our kids get there!

So this week, I've been mourning the loss of a great kid who I'm sure touched the lives of many during his time on Earth. I'm mourning for my niece who is hurting so deeply right now and there is nothing I can do to take away the pain. And yet, I'm comforted in the fact that I know Titus is in a much better place than we are. He will never have to endure pain ever again! And yet, why does God take such young people from us. It seems as I get older, I hear of babies and children being called home more and more and it just hurts.

It wasn't long after I got the news of Titus on Tuesday that I got news of another teenager (16) in the Noblesville area who had been accidentally shot by his 14 year old brother. They had been joking around and loved hunting, they didn't think the guns were loaded but they were. Another young, innocent life lost. Why God? Why? I know, that in your perfect time, you will reveal something good out of both of the situations but it doesn't make it any easier to understand now.