The Best Things in Life are Free

This week our church family and many in the High Country were hit with this reality with the sudden death of two local firefighters in a car accident. It's a shame that it takes this kind of tragedy to make us remember to leave the urgent things behind and focus on the important.

As I made this bundt cake for the meal for the family yesterday (a cake I know this food lovin' boy would have enjoyed--he would have loved the cream cheese filling), I thought a lot about this friend and faith family member and what he would have wanted. The celebration of life service couldn't have been more appropriate... music, tons of friends, and lots of food. Tommy would have loved it! We took the time last night to catch up with old friends and colleagues, support one another in our grief, and savor the simple things, like the kids playing around the tables.

I cannot imagine my life without my faith family. We are truly blessed to have found a home where we have friends who have become family; whom we can call upon, and who take the opportunity to call upon us. They've helped us clean out ditches, hang sheetrock, paint our home, install flooring, given us flowers for the garden, and shared countless meals with us, among so many other things. We've had the joy of sharing their pregnancies, watching babies grow up into such smart children, babysitting countless times to allow them a date night, and helping them out in a pinch with car trouble or offering them a ride somewhere.

But it's not about what we do for each other, it's about the relationships formed along the way... Tom and Dayna, at church, who remind me so much of Aunt Debbie and Uncle David (they help me to not miss that family as much); Sandi, a spirit-filled writer who has become like a mother to us; the countless friends who share our love of cooking and all things frugal--they help keep us accountable and offer great conversation; and the girls who help me to remember that girl time is just as important as couple time. And what carries these relationships further is that at the center of them, there's a bond that's greater than all others.

It's that bond that offers us all comfort and peace during this time of grief and heartache. It's that bond that lets us know that we're not alone in this. And it's that bond that allows us to know that there are truly better things to come, even if we don't see it yet.

So, take the time today to re-prioritize a bit... move the important above the urgent on the to-do list, and savor time with family and friends. This time is a free gift, and truly one to be cherished.

This post is dedicated to Charles Thomas "Tommy" Wright (April 4, 1989-March 21, 2010) Tommy, may your memory always be a reminder to us to live life to the fullest and always pursue our dreams. Easter Sunday will never be the same for us!