Overcome

This morning as I drove to work, my mind was busily planning what I would write about this evening. I had visions of reporting all of the tasks Matt and I accomplished with cleaning and working on our bathroom renovations. Shortly after I arrived at work, all of these thoughts fled from my mind. Today was an incredibly sad day.

I am somewhat shaken at the strength of my reaction to the news that a young woman I have never met, never even HEARD of until today, has been tragically taken in a car accident. The town where I work is a very small town. Everyone knows everyone. It's somewhat different from where I came from in that way. When I came in this morning, my coworkers were discussing a sixteen-year-old girl who had been in a bad accident on Friday night. We were taking up a collection for her family, and no one knew if she would live. I was immediately saddened at the thought of someone so young hanging on to life by a thread.

As the day progressed, people could talk of little else. I learned that this young woman's family had lost her brother in an accident not so long ago. My heart aches for this family, knowing that they are experiencing profound loss for a second time. Later in the day, we learned that she has been basically declared brain-dead, her body being kept alive by machines, for only as long as it takes to locate recipients for her organs. As I admire her family's generosity, I also grieve for them, knowing that they most likely will be in a state of limbo while the search for organ recipients could take days or weeks even. Today I have shed tears for strangers, grieving with them for the loss of such a young life. And I am touched.

I am touched by the charity and support from a small community for its own. I mentioned that a collection for the family was being taken. That is something of an understatement. Not only did we adults who work at the Y contribute, but so did members who were coming in to do their daily workouts. Also, the children in the day camp gave.

I walked back into the childcare area at one point this morning to look for my boss to approve a flyer I had made. I paused at the doorway to where the children were to listen to what was going on. These children were emptying their pockets in an effort to be giving to this family. I listened to one of the group leaders talking about how Jesus instructed us to take care of one another. I listened to her, knowing that by praising the children's generosity and caring gesture, she was instilling in them a Christian virtue. I cannot express how proud I am to be working in a place where God's work is done on a daily basis. In a place where Christian values are taught to the kids that come there to learn.

I am overcome.