As a kid, I remember all the excitement leading up to a big thanksgiving dinner one November afternoon. In preparation for a huge extended family reunion, my mother was cooking the biggest feast you've ever seen. She was frantic with all the details and wanted me to help. I don't remember everything about that day, but I do remember that my mom asked me to help set the table. At that moment, getting the table set was the most important thing in her life. After all, you can't eat until the table's set.
It's interesting how fast things can change. After one quick phone call, setting the table became an afterthought. The call informed my mother that her cousin, her cousin's spouse and their two children, who were traveling to our house for the reunion, were in an automobile accident. The parents had been killed and the two young boys were in the hospital. Suddenly, our priorities for that whole weekend shifted from plates and silverware to making sure that two newly orphaned toddlers received the care they deserved.