This past Saturday, a little boy in Destin, Florida, Kohlton Ward, went for a bike ride with friends, got hit by a car, and he is currently in the hospital in Pensacola, fighting for his life. I have broken down a few times since I found out… I don’t know this little boy or his family, and my son has only seen him at school in passing.
However, I went for a run that same morning on the same road as this little boy, and Brendan rode his bike alongside me. It could just as easily be our little man in a cold hospital room hooked up to machines, getting scanned for brain activity. I can’t imagine facing the decision to potentially let him go and not be able to say goodbye.
Count Your Blessings
While this unfolding story is heart-wrenching, I hope we do our best to learn from it. The next time you start to feel a little frustrated with your little ones, I encourage you to take a minute to count your blessings.
A few weeks ago, I started keeping a list on my phone of all the things I am grateful for. The list includes things like putting my son to bed and fun trips I’ve taken with Rob. However, the very first item on my grateful list is “the opportunity to live another day.” I think reading that one line daily has been life-changing. Before anything else, just the ability to wake up this morning is a GIFT. We have another chance to get things right.
A Shift in Perspective
Life is so fragile. It is far too easy to get wrapped up in day-to-day struggles that we take all the little miracles for granted, like our ability to walk, talk, listen, smile at strangers, and hug our family.
So I encourage you to live courageously, take time to appreciate the little things, slow down, smile more, and hug the ones you love a little tighter tonight.
Please say a prayer for Kohlton and his family, too.
Pray for Kohlton Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/825250884895580
GoFundMe for his family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/prayersforkohltan
