Live each day like it's your last, and say a few prayers too.

Despite all of the happiness and sense of accomplishment last week, there were some slap-in-the-face moments. There are some families that are in need of some extra prayers.

Trevor's step-siblings' {the ones from Michelle's second marriage} mom started to not do so well in her battle against her terminal cancer. She is the lovely, strong, courageous woman I talked about in Woe #38 and in this post. Her battle has been fought hard and she has conquered in some aspects, but unfortunately cancer is ugly and doesn't play fair. Please keep the Smith-Hunt family in your prayers. And if you want to watch a heart warming story about Cheryl and her kids, click here. You won't regret it. {Make sure you keep the tissues handy!}

A family in my home ward was also hit with tragedy. The Gurney family has been in our home ward, the Lehi 16th, for... well, many years. I love the Gurney family, and have grown up with two of their girls. Rachael is a year older than me, and Amber is two years younger than me. My brother Trevor is friends with their son Jace, and I have always thought that the younger siblings, Jeff and Hope, were adorable. And don't get me started on how much I love Stan and Alisha, the kids' parents. Alisha was my girls camp adviser for several years, and Stan is just one of those soft spoken, hardworking guys that is fun to talk to. The two got married when they were 16 years old, and have one of those relationships that you just have to admire and dream of. The Gurney's just moved from their home in our ward to Stan's parents house, while Stan was going to build their new house. On Tuesday, May 28th, Stan had a massive heart attack while he was at work. My family found out when President Lefler {our stake president and Dad's home teaching companion} called to check in with my dad. Stan has been in the cardiac ICU for almost a week, and there have been problems and complications. The heart machine did come out, but there is still a long road to recovery. The Gurney family is in need of some extra prayers. We are all rooting for Stan to pull through this. If you want to read more about Stan's journey, or to donate money {because we all know how much medical bills are going to factor into this} please click here.

Finally, possibly the saddest event of all was the passing of Zac Burke. The Burke family was in our ward for years, too. Their oldest daughter Kyla was in Young Women's with me, and my brother Trevor and Zac were best friends, always hanging out and doing crazy stuff. I still remember when Zac rode his bike down our dirt hill in the back yard, and ran smack into the side of our concrete shop. Zac successfully broke both of his arms that day, and never rode down the dirt hill again. The Burke's moved to Beaver and Zac and Trev lost contact. Zac went on to become well loved in the Beaver community, especially for his talent with sports. Last Friday, his sister Kyla was getting married and I was excited to see her wedding pictures pop up on Facebook. Instead what I saw was well wishes for her marriage mixed with condolences about her brother. Through some Facebook stalking, I found the article about Zac in the Salt Lake Tribune {click here} and watched the stories on KUTV 2 and ABC 4 about how he drowned in Minersville Reservoir last Thursday night with a heavy heart. Zac had just been sworn into the National Guard, and had a bright future ahead of him. My thoughts and prayers are with the Burke family through this difficult time.

Life is precious.
And sometimes I myself am guilty of taking for granted what a great life I have.
I have an amazing, loving fiance, two supportive families, parents who love me, brothers who drive me nuts but who I wouldn't trade for the world, and many friends who I hold dear.
You never know when someone is going to die.
You never know who it's going to be.
You never know when it might be your last moment on Earth.
Death is apart of life, but it is hard and heartbreaking.
No one wants to say goodbye.
I thank God every day for my good health and the good health of others, and need to remember to slow down and take a deep breath every once in a while.
Give your loved ones a hug and tell them you love them.
Say your apologies, let go of regrets and grudges, and live each day to the fullest.
And keep these families in your prayers.
They need a little extra push.