A reminder to cherish life

Published 6:12 pm Saturday, June 25, 2016

1. All Saints graduate on life support after car wreck
2. Friends, family host prayer vigil for local teenager

Note to readers: This week, my son, Jamie Clyde, writes my column. Jamie is 17 and has been processing the loss of Kendall Spinks, as have many in our community. He asked me if he could express his thoughts on the subject in my column today.

The impact someone you never knew can still have a staggering effect on your life

Last week, a girl named Kendall Spinks, who attended All Saints High School and was planning on college, was taken from her family and the community.

She was one year older than me.

As I stated before, I didn’t know Kendall personally, but this tragedy has put many things into perspective in my own life, as I’m sure it has for many others. Life is precious and its fragility is sometimes forgotten in the hectic lives we lead. I believe everyone in the community has had a chance to step back and realize what is really significant and what is fleeting.

There is a misconception that as life goes on, problems will vanish. As we have seen this last week, the longevity of life is never guaranteed, so why live passively?

This is a time to live actively in cherishing and loving those who are close to us. If there is anything I have taken from this event, it is to cherish life and to cherish those who are in my life. Kendall’s mother, Kimber Spinks, said in an article posted on Caring Bridge that Kendall has “reminded us of what is really important in this very short life.”

Life is too short, life is not fair and there is sometimes no good explanation for why disasters plague good people.

I pray the Spinks family has comfort during this time and hope everyone connected to Kendall is brought closer.