Like so many of us, I was shocked and saddened by the sudden deaths of nine people yesterday in a helicopter crash in southern California. Most of the focus has rested on Kobe Bryant and his daughter. Yet one family lost both parents and their younger daughter. It was just a routine trip to the kids’ basketball games. Simple. Straightforward. Yet, in an instant, they are no more.

Mortality is a slap in the face… with a iron fist. It knocks us silly, that is, our comfortable, controllable illusion of reality. But it can be a wake up call too. For me, it is a stark reminder to live every moment to its fullest. And, for me, that is allowing the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to what Jesus called “abundant living”. It is growing each day in the deep knowledge that I’m never alone, that I have a faithful Friend to guide and encourage me, that I am continuously surrounded by God’s Power and Love. Each moment is a present, a gift, to live more consciously aware.

I pray for the families who have suffered such unimaginable loss. And I pray that their eyes would be opened to the resources of God’s Love, Comfort, and Shalom that are embracing them for the journey ahead.