As you may have heard by now, during yesterday’s rush hour the I-35W bridge here in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing at least 7 people and leaving approximately 50 cars still in the water. The bridge was located just 15 minutes from my house, and my wife used to drive it all the time. Everyone here is in shock. These kinds of things always happen somewhere else, but never in my city, right?
I can’t imagine the horror and pain that the victim’s families must be going through right now. Sure, I could complain about the headaches this will cause for local traffic, which was already clogged. 150,000 cars crossed the 35W bridge every day, and that traffic will now have to be funelled through town to a small handful of other bridges–for at least a year, maybe two, until a new bridge is built. But my grumbling feels selfish and petty compared to the grief of losing a loved one, or suffering a debilitating injury. I heard on the news that one car contained a family driving to a fun night out to celebrate a birthday or something, and now every single family member is injured and the mother is in a coma, possibly crippled for life.
Someone on the local news said that this is going to completely obliterate some budgets for the local Red Cross. If you can give blood or a monetary donation, please consider it. We Minnesotans would be very grateful.
To donate, go to www.redcrosstc.org.
One more thought: These kinds of tragic events remind us how fragile and temporary life really is. Our lives here on earth are just a tiny speck on the timeline of eternity. Death comes to us all eventually. Statistics prove it, one out of one die. When your time comes, will you be ready? Try taking the Good Person Test, it will certainly help.