Every Day is a Blessing, Remember the Maine

"And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance"

Garth Brooks "The Dance" is a song that strikes so many of us, including those of us who have endured a tragedy. All of us in our lives, are going to face a moment, of such crushing pain, that we are going to question our faith, the very essence of our being. Tonight we all pray for a young girl with Angelman Syndrome, and her entire family, because simply put, they might have different last names or backgrounds, but we are very much related. Long after pangea, the land bridge, and even the hails of "Remember the Maine" that marked the start of the Spanish American War, we are still blood relatives. Each of us are at a minimum 1/32nds related to each other. Right now one of our family members is in an uncertain predicament, as she is in God's hands, as are the rest of us. We never know when that last day will be, but as it is stated so eloquently in the Bible, "Before You were in the Womb, I Knew You."

There are many interpretations to this, and while it has been used for political debates and other arguments, it should actually be of comfort. Even to the most broken hearted right now, there is a family in Lowell, Maine, a small town that is a dot on the map, but tonight that place has light from all over the world shining down upon it with love. From above in the Heavens, to continents across the Earth. In that verse, is written that each day we do have control over certain elements of life, but ultimately it up to our Lord for divine intervention. Its up to God at this point, because all human elements have been given a shot, and while we must continue to pray, we must face the stark reality that one of our fellow family members is going to be taken to Heaven.

My pastor says it so well. He says that when a child precedes you in death, that "you feel robbed." That is true in many regards. Its a simple explanation, but yet, it coincides with the Garth Brooks song "The Dance," that was so popular years ago. You do not want to know necessarily how the end of life or a battle goes, because like a book, knowing the ending would so very much spoil the rest of the story. Even in the midst of tears, pain that tears upon at heart strings, is beauty that can be felt in a spiritual sense at even our darkest of times. There is heartbreak for a family in Maine, around the rest of the United States, and lands far away such as Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.

Right now there is a family that needs our love. For a few moments, we can stop and pray for them, or keep them in our thoughts. They will feel this, I promise you that much. Its beyond comprehension on how to explain it in words, but there's just this visceral at the heart feeling that each and every one is capable of in even the toughest times that life throws our way. Our time on the dance floor or the stage if this is that, may only last for a blink of an eye, even if that is only two, five, ten, or one hundred years. We are just mere pieces of dust in the wind, that are carried in directions that we sometimes can control, but often we just tumble along in whatever way the breeze blows. May this family in Maine tonight know that the world is praying, not only for their daughter, but for them to find peace during this most difficult of times. Nothing but love, and while our lives are better left to chance, what matters is that dance. Life is nothing but a book of photographs and memories. Hold on to those good ones.