"When I think about what we do every day and the tragedy and heartache we see and try to help people through, this is a wonderful way to help us cope," Covington police Capt. Ken Malcom said. "When we see so many negative things, catastrophic things that happen to families, feeling good about something helps us, helps us cope with having to deal with so much tragedy."

When a family experiences a tragedy of this magnitude, it touches the whole community, said McCoy, the pastor.

"It reminds us that none of us are promised even the next five minutes and to make the best and most of what have," she said. "Make those memories last, because if you put it all off until tomorrow, there might not be a tomorrow."