eyes wide open

i went to bed on thursday night happy, inspired, content, and i woke up friday morning wedged between two sleeping babies. ownee rolled over and whispered, ‘i love you’ and i thought…this is going to be a great day.

and for a brief moment, it was…until my phone rang.

my sister’s voice was laced with fear when she told me she was worried about our parents. they had flown to japan the day before and had i seen the news? earthquake. tsunami. devastation. she’d tried to call delta. lines = busy. we called cell phones regardless of expensive charges in the hopes of hearing their voices = only beeping. we had all of technology at the tips of our fingers, and we were helpless. we scoured the internet looking for info, hoping for something, anything that would let us know where they were. were they safe? had their plane landed? we were stuck in a mire of unknowing, and it is an awful, fearful place. a place i wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

that was the worst 3 hours of my entire life. the inability to find an answer to the simple question, were they safe? is an indescribable feeling. i’m beyond happy to tell you that we did in fact get word that they were tucked safely away at the yokota air force base outside of tokyo. they had food, water, a place to sleep, limited internet. praise God. my heart breaks for the thousands of people who are still suspended in that state of unknowing, wondering if their loved ones are ok, safe, alive.

*photo courtesy of yokota air base website* this is where they stayed the night…

with any tragedy comes the realization that perhaps our priorities have misaligned, and this whole thing has thrown me into that state. has shot my eyes wide open and has made me re-realize the importance of family, of relationships, of the power of prayer, of the intense power of God (on many levels), of the need for all of us to take a hard look at our lives, zoom-out, and re-focus our priorities on the things that are truly important. that truly matter. so hug the ones you love a little tighter tonight, read that one extra bedtime story they are begging for, find time, because we never, ever know when time will run out. thankfully, our lesson came with a 2nd chance, and a harsh reminder of the realities of life. a happy outcome for us…not so for others.

during that morning of not-knowing, all i could think was that i had, unknowingly taken the last image of my parents together, and it was a horrible feeling…

*taken while skype-ing them before they took off from the seattle airport on thursday*

by the grace of God, it won’t be the last image i have of them together. and at the risk of sounding redundant and/or cliché, i’m going to say it all again because i want you all to cherish your time together…

: love the ones you hold. hold them tightly. make them feel special. remind them of your love for them. take time. it’s important. they’re important. look at your life and re-prioritize. please. do it. today.

i am BEYOND grateful that i can tell these two little boys they will see their grama sue and papa again soon…that they will be able to hug them and love them and play with them and just be…

my heart, like the rest of the world, continues to ache for the people truly affected by this tragedy. if you’d like to help the people of japan, please visit this link at the red cross to send funds over to help.