Reality Check

So I wanted to blog about an unfortunate event that I experienced last night. That way it's a way of journaling so I can remember my thoughts on it. Last night I had the sad chance of helping out in any way I could with a car accident that occured just right by my house. I live on Kamehameha Highway which is the busy road that people use to get around the island. Well, it turns out that there was this 19 year old kid who was driving somewhere with a 23 year old in the passenger seat and another kid in the back. He was going pretty fast as he was attempting to pass somebody. He lost control and hit part of the bridge and flipped and rolled the car. (the report says that alcohol was probably a factor). There were many people that heard the crash and went running. We didn't hear anyhting until the sirens started speeding down the highway and we ran outside to see what happened.

Some of my friends went down to see what happened and my buddy Amraa went down to see if there was anything they could do to help. As me and my friend started making our way down there, my friend Bryan told us to stop because he said that we don't want to see that. I won't go in to any gory details, but my friends said there was nothing they could do because the passenger was already dead and the others "didn't look good." So as we were walking back we unfortunately saw the families running towards the wreckage and heard the reaction when they saw what happened. I couldn't stand listening to that so we walked back towards our house.

We were just all standing around because we didn't know what to do with ourselves. My friends who had seen the accident were stone-faced and pale and we just didn't know what to do. We saw a short lady dressed in dark clothes flagging down cars on the freeway to get them to stop and turn around because they were closing down that part of the highway and wouldn't let anyone through. So that's when we found something to do. We got some flashlights and about 5 of us were flagging cars down and telling them to turn around and letting them know what happened. The cops brought us some flares to line the road with because they had to work on crowd control and such. The saddest part about flagging cars down was knowing every car that had family or friends in it. They rushed to a stop, got out, and just started booking it down the highway towards all the flashing lights and crowds of people.

We were out there till about 1:30 in the morning but they didn't open the highway back up till about 4. Needless to say, this was a very sad night and a HUGE reality check. It really makes you think about life and how no day is guaranteed. So many people go through life thinking, "it's ok, I'll do it tomorrow." or "I'll tell them I love them tomorrow." But what if tomorrow never comes? I know it sounds cliche to be saying things like this, but every day really is a blessing and you can't put things off. Tell the people you love that you love them because they could be taken from this earth in an instant. You never know what's going to happen to you or anyone else that you know or love so you can't afford to take things for granted. We get so caught up in day to day tasks that we seem to forget to tell people how much we appreciate and love them. So tell them that you love them, every day!

I know this is a really long post but just one more thing. It also made me so grateful for the knowledge I have of this gospel and what happens after this life. There are so many people out there that don't know what's going to happen to them when they die and they think that when their family members and friends die, that's the end and they'll never see them again. It's always hard to lose someone you love and care about, it's never going to be easy, but at least we have the hope of the after life and knowing that we will see those people again someday. Just like I never got closure with my Grandma Waite passing away. I wasn't able to go to the funeral and I still have not been to her grave site in Utah, but I know that she's happy with my Grandpa and that I will see them both again someday. I'm so thankful for that. I can't even imagine how bleak and depressing this life would be if there was no hope for an even better life after this.

Sorry about the wordy post with no pictures, I just wanted to make sure I wrote down all my thoughts and feelings to remember this in the future. Take advantage of every single day and enjoy the time you have with your loved ones and friends. TELL THEM YOU LOVE THEM EVERY CHANCE YOU GET!!