In the Twinkling of an Eye

So somethings have happened that cause me to have to write this message about how quickly life can change. I have two friends who were taken away from us way too soon! I attended their memorial service yesterday, it was somber and balloons were released after the service to 'send messages up to Mike and Nora in heaven'. It was AWESOME but also HOT in the Valley for those of us who had just experienced snow earlier in the week. There were lots of people family and friends came together to say good-bye to their loved ones. The Pastor of the church was saying that we all needed to remember that this family is about to experience a LOT of FIRSTS in the coming year, first Father's Day without their father, first Mother's day without their mother, first birthdays...holidays...actually each day is the first day without their parents because each day is new, the date changes things change but the pain will remain. People say time heals all things and in time you will feel better, my Daddy died 14 years ago and it still hurts. My Daddy died of congestive heart failure, Mike and Nora were killed. Someone decided that these two people no longer deserved to be on this earth so he took them out. And in a twinkling of an eye lives were changed for good. Scenario after scenario has been discussed, the whys have been asked and still Mike and Nora are not here. I have been trying to make sense of it myself, to understand why two people I had seen recently, and saw regularly for the past 16 years, who I told I would be back to see them are no longer here for me to see. It is absolutely crazy to me that I won't hear Nora's laugh or Mike won't be brushing Stinky's shoulder off, then Stinky brushing Mike's touch off and then they are on with their touching game. I showed Stinky a picture of Mike and Nora and I said, 'who is that?!' She got the biggest smile on her face and pointed at their picture and started laughing. Every time I would say who is that she would just smile and laugh. Nora would always point to whatever Stinky was pointing at or take the cards Stinky would be playing with that they gave her and say'HEY that's my card...you can't have my card!' Then they would both laugh and laugh until Nora had tears in her eyes...I would just shake my head 'cause it wasn't that funny to me but it was their connection and I didn't have to get it. One night when we had first moved out to Spring Valley Gary and I were invited to a Rodeo at the Coconino Fair Grounds (Fort Tuthill) and Mike and Nora offered to watch my sister for us, so we could have a night out. We went to the Rodeo which was 45 miles and a hour away. When we got home Mike and Nora were sitting in the living room watching TV (Forrest Gump or Ray or some video), we asked them how 'babysitting' went and they were 'Oh it was great! We ate dinner, we watched TV then put her in the bed and she was great, we haven't heard a peep out of her!' I said really? Then I walked over to the stairs and said Stinky come here, at that point my sister who had been sitting at the top of the stairs walked down the stairs in her pajamas. No one knows how long she had been sitting there. We just said it's a good thing she is not a kid cause you guys would not have passed the babysitting test! They were actually the best and since Nora was a nurse we knew if something happened she would know what to do. Outside of my sisters and brothers and my mom, Mike and Nora are the only people who have been left alone with my sister. (My sister has brain damage and is unable to speak so leaving her with anyone outside the immediate family is a big deal. After all if she were to get hurt she wouldn't be able to tell us what happened so we have to be able to trust the people around here.)You could trust Mike and Nora, especially Nora with your life. It is hard to believe they are gone. I haven't cried for Mike and Nora. I haven't cried for my Daddy or my Uncles and Aunts who have passed away, its like I can understand the 'why' they (My Daddy, Aunts and Uncles) had to leave...congestive heart failure, cancer, long illnesses where them leaving makes sense because you know they are no longer suffering or in pain. BUT Mike and Nora's leaving makes no sense to me, they weren't in any pain, no one had cancer or was suffering from any illness, someone for some reason decided to play God and felt it was their time to go. Why? '1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.' Changed in the twinkling of an eye. Sad to say I think I have been changed by this violence, I felt the change when I saw the house where the crime took place...I saw it when I saw the children walking around dazed, confused and lost...the friends who were inconsolable and in the grandkids who 'just wanted to know why they did this to us'....I know that sadly this kind of thing happens everyday all day, but this is the first time it's happened to me. I hope that we all find a way to cope with the loss of Mike and Nora (they were dad, mom, aunt, cousin, friend, nurse, confidant, etc., etc. to us)and that instead of being changed for the worst by them leaving us, we are somehow changed for the good, by remembering the good they did! Until we meet again my friends.... See ya when I see ya! Peace! Mattie