What can I even say? My heart is hurting tonight for the tragedy that happened to the American Fork Marching Band on their way home from a competition in Pocatello, Idaho. One of the buses rolled over and a teacher died. The students appear to all be ok, physically. Although I don't have a child in the band anymore, we have lots of friends and neighbors who have kids in the band and I still feel like it's a part of my life.Such mixed emotion--sadness at the loss, grateful it wasn't worse, concern for the kids' emotional well-being, heartache for the teacher's family, amazement at her attempt to save the students--all rolled up together in my head and heart.
One of my son's friends who was in band with him said on his Facebook site that lots of people will be singing The Friends Song tonight (the band's unofficial song "A Friend's a Friend Forever", by Michael W. Smith). Some of the lyrics:
But we'll keep you close as always
It won't even seem you've gone
'Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong.
And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
'Cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long
To live as friends
Even though we know that tragedies are a part of life, when one strikes close to home, it is difficult. Maybe it helps us to feel for those we read about in faraway places who lose loved ones or are maimed in accidents or senseless acts of others.
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