Surrounded by Death... and Life

So the last year it has been hard in many way. On is that I have felt like death is waiting at every turn. I mean wouldn't you:

- April 07 - 4/16
- Summer 07 - Beating or whatever in Greensboro (see first blog post)
- Fall 07 - Guy jumps out of Pritchard to his death
- November 07 - Uncle Dies
- Feb 08 - NIU Shooting
- Spring 08 - Car hits 5 people I know that are good friends of a few of my friends, one dies

It got to the point where I could not go to the prayer meetings for these events. I wanted to pray with my community about these events and support those struggling with them. But after the prayer night for the guy in Pritchard I avoided the other ones. I did go to a morning one for NIU but anything at night I skipped. Being a room with my friends greiving and praying for another death, I just couldn't do it.

But recently I have been blessed seeing life all around me and within the last year:

- 2 Babies born to people involved with IV @ VT
- 1 Baby born to a friend from back home
- Wes and Lindsey's Wedding
- Graduations
- Several friends got engadged
- Chris and Kathryn's Wedding
- My grandparent's 50th wedding aniversary

So yeah, I think death has been more prevelent or visible in the last year, but God is protecting his people in many ways and even in our world filled with death and pain, there are signs of his grace, love and plan.

Sometimes you just have to stop looking at the crap and look for the good things.