A Loss To Soon

Amelia Sharif was a tenacious seven year old. When I think of her I always remember these big adoring eyes and her energetic bounce and a smile that could light the hill country. Her proud dad Ryan was the dotting father and her soccer coach. The bond and love that Ryan showed his daughter is hard to describe but easy for many of us who are parents to visualize and understand.

Amelia and her Grandmother Carolyn were taken from us in an accident in Arizona recently.

To read the newspaper article click here.

After hearing the news from a parent of a former teammate I coached and who was now a teammate of Amelia's, I haven't quite been the same. Knowing how much Ryan and his wife Stephanie loved their daughter and just how unfair life can be sometimes has thrown me through every emotion you can imagine. Anger, sadness, and ultimately fear and worry for my own boys. A chilling and hurtful reminder how precious life really is.

When people ask me why I want to make the impact on the world that I do, it's because of this very thing. None of us know when our time is up and we all have to live life to its fullest. Living life means truly connecting with the ones who mean the world to us and likely (if you are like me) take for granted will always be there.

I would give anything in the world to get Amelia and her Grandmother back and erase the pain that I know Ryan and his entire family must be feeling. Instead, I hope to honor them and every one of us who has lost someone that we loved by helping others realize the importance of making the impact when and where you can. Give your family and your kids your complete attention and let them know every day how much you love them. Tell your friends what they mean to you. Do something. Because sometime, somewhere down the line, those words you wish you would have spoken won't be able to be heard.

God Speed Amelia! I know you are somewhere right now playing on a different soccer field or swimming in a different pool and Grandma is right there rooting you just like always.