On this Mindful Monday, my heart is so saddened by the tragic events of Saturday night that I want to take a minute and be truly thankful for the life that we have. Horrific accidents happen every day and you never know when it might be your last moments, or you might lose loved ones.

Our community was full of Playoff Pride for our hometown High School Football team - the Vandalia Vandals. They completed the season undefeated and won their first-round playoff game. This gave them the best record of any former Vandal football team in the 50-year history of the school. The entire town was fired up with support for the next round to be played in town about a hundred miles away this past Saturday night. Many Vandal supporters made the trip to watch the game and cheer on their team. Unfortunately, the Vandals lost the game. But that is not the tragedy.

It happened on the way home from the game. A seventeen-year-old driver crossed the lane and hit a Toyota Corella head-on. All four occupants of the Toyota lost their lives in the crash.

Two of the young ladies were 14-year-old students at our high school. The grandparents of one of the young ladies were taking them home from the game. To make this scenario even more heart-breaking - our Vandalia High School principal (of the same football team playing in this game) was the father of one of the girls - AND - the son of the two adults.

In one tragic moment in time - due to a car crossing out of its lane - this man lost his daughter and both of his parents.

Today is a really rough day for the families, for the community, and for the classmates. Schools all around the state are showing solidarity and support by wearing the Vandal colors to school today - red and black.