Have you ever had something happen that could have changed your life forever? An event, a wreck, a doctor’s report or a moment you looked away? We had one of those this week.

This past week, our entire family stayed at a rental house for several days near the beach. The house had a swimming pool and all the things a beach house should have. The last afternoon we were there, Elaine, Leslie, Matt, Rowan (our four-year-old granddaughter) and I were all at the pool having a good time. The pool had three steps that lead into the pool. Rowan was swimming with a float and just having a blast. When we were about ready to come in, Rowan took off her float, lost her balance, and stepped off the last step into the pool and went under the water. We were right there, and she was under the water for maybe two seconds until I grabbed her up.

The event itself was only a second of time, but after the event, I began to think about what almost happened…I could not get it out of my mind. See, life was just happening like life happens and in a flash, I realized how so very precious life is. I loved, hugged and kissed that little girl as many times as she would let me that night. It scared me. You start playing things in you your mind like what if we hadn’t been right there, etc. You just have to stop and thank God almighty for having his hand on us that day.

In life, it only takes a flash of what could have been for us to realize how precious and grateful we are for our life and our family’s life.

The message is to love often and fully and never hold back. KT