I've spent a lot of time this week checking the internet for updated information on a 12 year old girl named Maggie Lee Henson. MLH was injured in a horrible bus accident on the way to a church mission trip in Georgia. There are several reasons this story touches me so deeply: 1) Ash is at tennis camp with MLH's best friend from TC and this girl has no idea what has happened to her friend. I feel like I'm in on a very horrible secret while we encourage the girls to have fun at tennis camp knowing when we pick them up this weekend the truth will have to come out; 2) This girl is Ash's age and the accident happened on the day I am dropping her off at a week long camp. It is hard enough to say goodbye to your child for a week where you have no control over their safety or well-being but throw in knowing there is a parent sitting on a plane at that very moment praying that her daughter is still alive when she gets to the hospital; 3) There are several of Ash's friends in TC who know this girl and her family and the fact they had recently visited TC is a haunting reminder of how quickly life changes. I hate being all doom and gloom and I am trying very hard to find the strength in my faith needed to lift me to the level where MLH's parents are at this moment. Their strength, courage and faith in God are amazing to me. I'm afraid if I were in their shoes all I would find is anger and blame. How do they sit by their baby girl's bedside and still find such strong faith? I admire that deep love and unwavering trust in the Lord. I have faith but my faith is continually and easily tested at times.

I think one of the reasons my head has hurt every single since this happened is because I realize that we cannot be with our children 24/7 so how do we keep them safe? I'm about to say goodbye to my baby boy for two weeks while he makes his annual visit to OH and WV to visit my grandmothers and other relatives with my Mom. This trip involves two plane flights and numerous four hour plus car rides. How do I know he'll be safe? Every year I worry before my kids make this trip. I fret because of the guilt I carry that I am not making the trip with them to keep them safe. I worry about whether or not my mother will be able to keep a close eye on them while also helping my grandmother with her needs.

I know that all I can do is place my children in God's hands and pray he delivers them home safely. The part I do not comprehend though is how MLH's parents could have done the same thing last Sunday when they put her on that bus only to get that dreadful call a few hours later that their baby girl was on the way to the hospital in a helicopter. I guess we are not meant to understand it all. I guess that is where blind faith comes into our lives? I pray my faith never has to be tested in this way.