Never go to bed angry is one of the most common pieces of advice that newlyweds receive from most couples.
I’m afraid it’s easier said than done. But after unexpectedly losing her husband in his sleep, one wife is advising other couples to take this seemingly general advice seriously. Mikey Murrell and Ashley Murrell got into a furious disagreement after he returned from a 16-hour stint at work.
It all began when the 33-year-old told her spouse that she thought he could be overextending himself and exhausting himself.
“He was so exhausted all the time and he was running himself into the ground and his health was going downhill fast.”
Even though Ashley’s argument was motivated by her desire to protect her husband’s interests, the conflict was not settled before the pair went to bed.
“When he came home that night he was a mess, I have never seen him so exhausted. I couldn’t stand seeing him like that and I got angry. I was sick of it.”
Ashley advised Mikey to take a nap on the couch.
“I had a go at him and told him to sleep on the sofa which was stupid because I really just wanted him around more.”
That evening, the phrase “never go to bed angry” took on a whole new meaning. The following morning, Ashley discovered that her worst fear had come true. She discovered Mikey dead when he had fallen asleep on the couch.
The widow praises her late husband, saying, “Mikey was so caring.” He would be the first person to approach a downcast person upon entering a room if he noticed them.
Ashley afterward learned that her husband had been putting in additional time at his carpet-cleaning job to save money for their July 3 anniversary. He was organizing a vacation to Prague for the two of them.
“He would work 16-hour shifts, seven days a week just so he could save up enough to take us all to Disney every year. He was so worn out but he would do anything just to see us smile.”
Ashley said she would do anything to alter the outcome of that evening. Her dying words to Mikey will live on in her memory forever.
“I felt so guilty. I was so angry with myself for making him sleep on the sofa. I still find it so hard to think that my last words to him were out of anger.”
In order to alter the outcome of that night, Ashley claims she would do anything. She will never forget the last things she said to Mikey.
“I felt so guilty. I was so angry with myself for making him sleep on the sofa. I still find it so hard to think that my last words to him were out of anger.”
The distraught mother of three now wants other spouses to understand the significance of “never going to bed angry.”
“Losing Mikey has changed my entire perspective on life. Life is too short to go to bed angry and not to spend every moment you can with your family.”
For Ashley and her family, my heart aches. I hope that her story will serve as a more powerful lesson for all of us today to make up for our loved ones before the night is out. Because we never know what the morning holds.
“Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun set upon your anger.” —Ephesians 4:26
