Sunday, August 16, 2009

Rough Weekend

This past weekend was expected to be one of some sadness as we prepared to move my sister away to college. I knew there would be a lot of mixed emotions....but in the midst of packing and preparing, we recieved a phone call.

Our next door neighbor and close friend at my familys lake home had been killed very suddenly. He had been driving around the neighborhood on a friends scooter (having his wife and kids follow him in their van because he didnt want to be out there alone). As he was riding, the scooter stalled out. He sat and played with it a minute trying to get it to start again- when all of the sudden it took off and carried him into a tree, breaking his neck, and killing him instantly---as his wife, 12 year old son, and 9 year old daughter watched.

I have trouble writing this without tearing up. It makes absolutely no sense, and no one quite knows what happened and why...

We dropped everything and headed straight there as soon as we heard. Our community of neighbors there are quite close and just stood outside hugging, crying, talking, and consoling the family. Friends of the family came flooding in, but his family lives in Minnesota, and hers is all in Japan.

If youve ever watched Home Improvement, then you know of neighbor Wilson----the guy who knew each one of the Taylor family differently, and was always up to something different. Gib reminded me so much of that. I always gave him a hard time for different projects he was working on, or weird foods he was cooking. He gave me a hard time about how he thought I was permanently glued to our porch swing since for the first 3 months he lived there- everytime he came outside, I always seemed to be there. He would always bring us samples of stuff he had BBQ'd and sit and shoot the breeze with us.

My family and our neighborhood will miss him terribly. But I know nothing compares to how much his family will feel his absence. They were so close. Just last weekend they set up a picnic out in the grass eating watermelon. His daughter adored him, and his son was his spitting image.

Oh, please pray for this family. The funeral is Tuesday.

Pray for me and my family as well. I cant stop thinking about it. I know God has a purpose and plan for everything---and I belive in his sovreignty over every situation, but this was...is extremely difficult-and happened so quick. It really made me realize how instantly life can change.

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