Granger Smith's wife, Amber, shares family photo taken before son's death

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Country music star Granger Smith's wife, Amber, has shared a family photo taken one year ago, shortly before their family changed forever.

This June will mark one year since the couple's 3-year-old son, River, died as the result of a drowning accident at home in Texas. Amber Smith on Thursday shared the photo of the family of five together at home and smiling.

"One year ago. My caption was 'enjoying daddy being home and Texas rain.' Life was good. No one has a perfect life, but it was pretty dang good. Happy kids, happy marriage, happy hearts. We couldn't have known the storm we would be facing in less than 30 days," she wrote on Instagram.

"Life is unpredictable," she added. "Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Life can change in an instant. Love your family. Love your friends. Love your God. John 16:33."

The Smith family has leaned on their faith as they deal with their tragic loss. Last August, Amber Smith posted a bittersweet back-to-school message, along with photos of daughter London, who is in second grade, and son Lincoln, who is in kindergarten.

View this post on Instagram

Back to school. Man. The full gamut of emotions today. So happy and proud for London entering 2nd grade. So excited for Lincoln to be able to walk into Kindergarten at the same school as his big sister. Yet, I’m also so sad they won’t have their little brother bouncing and running down the halls, making everyone laugh at drop off. I would normally be going home with just River for another year before he started pre-k. I was so excited to have the one on one time with him while big bro and sis were at school. He was already belting out his “ABCD’s” and teaching me the difference between an excavator and front loader. But sometimes the plans we make for ourselves don’t come to pass. Sometimes God has another path for you, your family, and your heart. This sucks and it will suck for the rest of my life, but I’m choosing to make the most out of the hand that we’ve been dealt. I’m choosing to smile, through tears, and get excited for London and Linc because they need and deserve that. I’m going to focus on living a life of meaning for River’s honor, creating the foundation in his name to help others, and getting closer to Jesus and my family & friends than I’ve ever been. Not today Satan. If you’re having a hard time, going through a “why god” season, and your life isn’t what you planned it to be, “you CAN do it”. You have a purpose. Your grief and joy can coexist. It’s not over yet. Just dig deep. Fight when you can and hit your knees when you can’t. Let’s all pray for our kiddos and our teachers and our schools. May God be by their side every step of the way. 🙏🏼 📚 ✏️ And thank you ALL for your words of encouragement, kindness & love. They really help my mama heart. ❤️ Matthew 11:28

A post shared by Amber Smith 🦋 (@amberemilysmith) on Aug 15, 2019 at 7:20am PDT

"So excited for Lincoln to be able to walk into Kindergarten at the same school as his big sister. Yet, I'm also so sad they won't have their little brother bouncing and running down the halls, making everyone laugh at drop off," Smith wrote. "I would normally be going home with just River for another year before he started pre-k. I was so excited to have the one on one time with him while big bro and sis were at school."

She decided she would "focus on living a life of meaning for River's honor, creating the foundation in his name to help others, and getting closer to Jesus and my family & friends than I've ever been."

Originally published