So as I was writing a "weekend roundup" blog this evening I received an email from one of my friends. Apparently someone whom I've been friends with for a couple of years was killed on friday evening in a car accident. He was 21. I wasn't notified sooner because I lost my cell phone on wednesday and couldn't be reached.
Now this weekend for me was an adventure of me taking substance abuse to an excess where I hope never to be ever again. I had to be cared for by Chip and our friend T as I was making personal decisions that would adversely affect my life. My friend hadn't been drinking when his life was ended. He was a promising guy who was smart, witty, and enjoyable. I acknoweledge the fact that I had fallen out of touch with him as of late and I will forever be sorry for that.
This isn't the first time that this has happened. When I was 12 a distant relative was having a wedding and we were invited to a small island in the outer banks to a clandestine wedding for a proper society bride. The wedding went off without a hitch and we ended up staying the rest of the week with our family where me and my cousin who is my age were taught how to drive a truck by our older cousin on the beach. We also had our first real taste of beer as his family owns a microbrewery in Colorado. We looked up to him as if he were larger than life. And to us, he was.... in our eyes he could do no wrong, he was gorgeous, a lacrosse player, nice, funny, smart, and even better, he put up with two twelve year olds that followed him around to no end.
Two weeks after this wedding took place we got a phone call, he had been driving to lacrosse practice and his car was hit by a mack 10 truck and he was killed instantly. His parents still haven't recovered, it's been 11 years and you can see the part of his parents that died with their son. I'm sure he had his faults as did my friend who was killed on friday but it's at times like this that I can't help but wonder what they did to deserve such a fate? What grand master plan is realized by their deaths? I just hope that someone....somewhere... takes a moment after they've been drinking to rethink getting behind the wheel... playing with your own life is one thing, playing with someone elses is so much more...
(Sorry for making this blog v. v. serious, I promise this will not be a regular occurrence)
8 comments:
I'm sorry....
I'm so sorry, Dale. Have they had the funeral yet?
I had a friend in high school die in a car accident at age 16, and my older cousin, who was a REALLY, really good person, died in an accident at 19. My aunt and uncle haven't recovered either, and it's been 10 years. It totally changed their lives - they ended up selling their house and their farm and moving to Nairobi to be missionaries. I think they're still trying to find some meaning in all that loss.
I'm very sorry for your loss, Dale.
Everyone: Thanks for the condolences... in reality I wasn't besties with him and actually I feel bad because I don't feel worse, the entire situation is just kind of surreal for me. I don't know if any funeral arrangements have been made, I didn't know his family so it's possible it may have already happened.
It's always humbling to hear about someone you know dying, no matter how close or distant. Makes you realize you shouldn't be sweating the small stuff...
Dale,
Lots of hugs and smooches from me and the pooches. I am here even if you just need to vent or need a drunken buddy. Tragedy happens all around us, and when it is someone we know, its always much worse. Hopefully they are doing something much more important where ever they went. Someone needed them more than we did down here.
Min Pin Momma
Dale, it's your blog. You write whatever you want...be it serious or comical.
My condolences, Dale.
I'm very sorry to hear about this Dale. I agree that people really need to consider who else's life they might affect by drunk driving.
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