L.I.T. Travel

Yesterday was surreal for me but in a different way than others may be feeling. I was on a plane back from Los Angeles of all places and was in the air for the majority of the day. I always pray before I leave the ground and coming back I prayed a little more. We experienced more turbulence and a lot of fog, not to mention the clouds. My day started with checking my bags into the airport around 5:30 am, arriving in Austin, Texas at 10:35 am and boarding my plane for the next leg of my trip. My next stop would be in Dallas, Texas an hour later before I arrived home in Arkansas. It was during our layover in Dallas that I finally turned off the airplane mode and all my notifications came in. The one that caught my eye was about Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Bryant.

But, not just them but the other seven people that lost their lives on that flight. Then to find out that TMZ aired it before their families were properly notified of their deaths is beyond me. As an officer, I have seen death in some of the most horrific ways. Every death is a big deal because it is a loss of life but they are easy to bear. You arrive on the scene and you process the scene with the highest standards and integrity. You feel sad but it doesn’t cause you to pause but briefly. You recognize the hurt of the family and for me, I feel more pain and sadness when they arrive or I have to notify them of the loss. At that time I suffer with them but it is still bearable.

The deaths that cut deep for me are the ones like this that involve the loss of life that includes family members; a mother and daughter/son, a father and a son/daughter. a husband and a wife, sisters, brothers. This loss, this kind of loss is a pain that is so hard to watch and bear. Some may be wondering “Why is that?” I may be able to answer that. It is at that moment that we realize that more than one generation is lost! The possibilities are now gone.

YOLO = You Only Live Once

This is such a lie that we tell ourselves and that we tell our children. We are blessed to live every day that God gives us but We Only Die Once. I am not talking about you flatlined and was resuscitated but you died and was buried. That only happens one time. As parents we acknowledge our mortality but how often do we stop to recognize that same mortality in our children? I talk to my daughter about it off and on throughout the year and when events happen that cause us to discuss the very true and ever-present possibility of her leaving this life before I do.

There is nothing wrong with us hoping our children grow up, be successful by their terms, have a family if they wish, and make the world a better place. But what about us talking to them about not growing up or not seeing us as they do so? The tragedy that is death is when we do not recognize the blessing of life and live each day as if we died yesterday!