This morning that blue banner flashed at the bottom of the TV screen: “ONE DEAD AFTER SINGLE-CAR CRASH.” You never think that someone you might have known was in that car. But for me, and many others, it was. My high school started planning for candle ceremonies, assemblies, and grief counselors. Students started calling their friends and their families telling them, “I love you,” and, “I’m so sorry.”
Unfortunately, this feeling is not unfamiliar for this high school. In fact, a boy in my class died four years ago, and I still clearly remember that day. The texts at three a.m. saying that a teenage boy, a classmate, a long-time friend was gone. I’ll never forget the eerie silence that filled every hallway and every sophomore classroom. Being in the marching band, I got a first-row seat to his balloon release, and I was at the candle ceremony. We had shirts with his face on them, and every year we still remember the day with messages on his Facebook page.
Today, my alma mater struggles with these same things. A friend’s family is torn apart because they lost their brother, their son, their nephew, and a girl lost her boyfriend. An entire class suffered the loss of a friend, and someone to walk across that stage with them.
But with this loss comes great strength.
These situations are always hard for anybody to live through, but these types of events pull an entire community together. They make others forgive people that they may not have forgiven. They make people have faith and pray harder than ever before. They pull friends and families together and remind them just how each day is a gift with them.
During accidents like this, whether it’s a car accident or a natural death, people realize just how important each day is. The problem with our population today is that we do not appreciate the little things that come with each day. We focus on the big things because they make the biggest impact on what we do today. But we never remember to think that the little things like her head on your shoulder or his hand in yours could be the last.
This is human nature. We don’t try to let the big things take over our lives but, as I said they are big things.
These big things could range from a new job to a new car to a wedding or even a new baby. Now don’t get me wrong, these are all things that should be appreciated and celebrated. But there is more to life than just these big-ticket events. We have to remember that every kiss, every ‘I love you,' every breath we take is a gift.
We have to remember that the things we take for granted each day are the things that could be taken away in an instant.
Right now, you might think that the worries in your head and your heart are too much to handle. But when you think about what really matters in this world, it makes everything else seem so insignificant. You realize that you cannot change everything, but what you can change is your appreciation for life and your outlook on the world.
So please, remember that even the small things matter, no matter how little they may seem and always remember to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you, because you never know when it could be their last day, or even your own.
