We live in a fallen world. Our choices affect many more than just ourselves. Amir shared a personal experience of how someone else’s choices affected his marriage that made him angry in this post.

In the last few months, there have been several suicides in my Step Son’s school district, both in the High School and the Middle School levels. My Step Son is in Middle School.

Today, there was a period of time when no one could get ahold of Step Son. His friend’s dad had dropped him off at home while his mom was out caring for her disabled mother and his half-sister was at work. His Dad (my husband), his mom, and I kept trying to call him. There was the period of time when he could have been in the shower … or taking a nap … or whatever. Then there was the point where it had been too long. And all four of us adults panicked.

My Husband shut the lawn mower down, picked up his keys, and sped over to his home. About one mile away, Step Son called his Dad. Apparently the volume of the ringer on the phone was turned down low, and he hadn’t heard the phone ring.

Whew. Sheesh.

None of us spoke of the events, but panic and fear surged through until we knew he was okay.

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When my babies were 2 and 4, my then-husband and I moved into a two story house. I insisted we have gates installed on all the second floor windows before we moved in. My Youngest, who is my Special Need’s Daughter, is not safe in many situations.

Several weeks ago the four-year-old grandson of a church member fell out of a second story window in his home and has been in ICU since with brain damage. My heart aches for this family, their fifth child in the hospital with four older siblings at home.

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A year ago my Oldest’s drama teacher was diagnosed with cancer and began treatment. She is doing well today. A few weeks ago Oldest’s choir teacher was diagnosed with cancer; she is young with two young, school-age, children. In her email to the parents, she said she was sorry her students have to go through this, too. Oldest came home crying. She took both electives in 6th grade, has them both in 7th grade, and will have them both next year in 8th grade. She is close to these teachers.

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I don’t know how to process everything, sometimes. But I have learned how to give it to a God, THE God, who is able and who knows.

It is not simply our choices that affect others, but our lives affect others. We are not an island unto ourselves. For better or worse, we are all interconnected. Our choices matter. Our lives matter. How we live with what life deals us, matters … to many more than we will ever know this side of eternity.