Thursday, June 12, 2008

Recent Tragedies

A neighbor who lives behind us, next to my friend Bonnie, is widowed because of the tragic death of her husband a couple weeks ago. It happened on the evening of May 29th . I wasn't home because I was at church decorating for graduation.

The man was diagnosed with MS two years ago and was confined to an electric wheelchair. Four months ago they hired a construction company to rebuild their second-story deck. The company came and demolished the sides of the deck, threw the old boards to the yard below, and left the floor intact. They never returned. Two weeks ago, the man and his wife went together onto the deck to enjoy a summer evening. She asked him what he wanted to drink, she went inside to get it, and--within seconds--he accidentally bumped the gear into reverse. He and his chair plunged two stories onto the rotting boards in the yard below. Paramedics came and took him to Shock Trauma but he died.

The construction company was back within two days and put up a whole new deck in four hours.

I don't know the woman, but feel God wants me to minister to her somehow. Bonnie says she is very private. Any advice?
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In other shocking news, my friend Barb, who lives in Kansas, just emailed me to say that Chapman, Kansas was 85% destroyed by a tornado last night. Our mutual girlhood friend, Brenda, lives there with her family. We pray they are okay.

With all the tornadic activity common this time of year, please say a prayer also for my parents who are in Kansas right now. They went out to take care of rental properties.

Having survived a few in Kansas, I won't live in a house without a basement. If you invite me to yours in the summer but the house is on a slab, and there's even one ominous dark cloud in the sky, I will say "thanks but no thanks. " I don't mess with Texas and I don't mess with tornadoes.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Zo
That is just awful. Please give her my sympathies. I would just take her a card and flowers or food. Just tell her how sorry you are and that you wanted her to know that you are available to talk if she needs it. Let her know that you are sure she has plenty of family and friends BUT sometimes with such a tragedy it is easier to talk to people you are not as close to. Please also feel free to give her my e-mail info.