Rest in Peace

This morning, Sam and I lost a friend. He died in a car accident on his way to work. Before knowing it was him, I had actually talked with co-workers about the accident because it was pretty major, on a very well travelled route into town and had caused several people to be late. I remember specifically that one person told me that she was worried because both of the vehicles seemed so destroyed that no one could have survived. As it turned out, neither driver did. We found out a few hours later that it was our friend.

This guy was an incredibly nice person. He left behind a wife and two small children under the age of five. He was also an identical twin and left behind a loving brother and his family as well. All day long I have thought about his family. I'm not a strong religious person, but I do believe in god and in an afterlife and because of that belief, I know that folks like him end up in a happy place. My sadness is not for him because I know he is okay. My sorrow is for his daughter and his son who won't know him first hand beyond vague memories. It's also for his family who will surely find this holiday season to be almost unbearable without him. I also have found myself thinking throughout the day that, just 12 hours ago, he was still with us. A day ago he was thinking about Christmas shopping, thinking about presents to get his wife and kids, his next big barbecue, or even just getting ready for work. And today, he's no longer here. This utterly terrifying reality that someone can be HERE one day and gone without any warning whatsoever. I'm a lucky lucky person that I haven't had the experience of dealing with death in such close proximity. It's a good thing because I am a total nimrod who can't think of anything comforting to say and who can't help but be stunned by the unfairness of it all.

Please be safe on the roads this wintery season. Your loved ones will thank you.