In Memory of Kristi

It has now been one week since my dear sweet cousin Kristi left us for her eternal home in heaven. I still can't believe what has happened. I drive past their house on the way down the driveway to mine and I just keep expecting her to be walking to her car. Everything just feels so surreal, like I'm in a bad dream that I just can't wake up from. I've never expereinced a death like this before. I thought when my grandmother died in 2001, that it was the most traumatic thing I had ever been through, but I was wrong. When my grandmother died, we knew that was going to be the outcome, because she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a month before. But Kristi's death wasn't like that. One minute we were getting everyone ready to go swimming, and the next, we are praying that this nightmare would go away. I know God had his hand on Kristi and on my family, because the very pool she drowned in was the one that we were headed to. Had my cousin not found her, it would have been us. I don't think I could have dealt with that on top of her death.

One thing that I have learned during all this, is that we are not promised tomorrow. We do not know the hour or the day that God will call us home. We all need to be ready for the moment. Kristi was ready for her moment. She was very strong in her faith. She loved the Lord, and I know that HE is using her life and death to bring others to Christ. I'm making it my mission to remind everyone just how precious life is. Do not take it for granted. And don't think for one second that your life doesn't matter, because it does.