Another Tragedy

I am so saddened to find myself writing this post. Our family has been hit with another tragedy. Early this morning Micah's mom called us to let us know that his Uncle Terry died in an accident involving his tour bus. As of right now, we are not informed on any of the specifics of the accident other than luckily no one else was on the bus at the time. This is on the heels of Micah's Uncle Jerry passing away this past August in a traffic accident, and Larry receiving his Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) diagnosis just a few months ago.

I really don't know quite what to say right now. I think we're still in a bit of a state of shock. How much grief can one family take? We are so worried about Micah's grandparents. How do you lose two sons in less than a year and have the other one get sick? We're so thankful that Micah's parents were able to get on a plane and arrive safely to tell them in person and help try and give some comfort in this terrible time. And we were so grateful that we were attending the Christian Medical and Dental Associations convention at the time we got the call. The outpouring of love, support, and prayers that community embraced us with gave us such comfort this morning. After a weekend of having our hearts and minds fed with God's words, I feel it truly helped prepare the two of us for that phone call this morning.

The only thing I can think to do, especially in times like this is lean on the Lord.
No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
We need to ask God for strength and pray for understanding and peace.
We are so thankful that we had the chance to meet up with Uncle Terry and see his new tour bus in our first months after our move. He was so proud to show us around and delighted in seeing our boys. We enjoyed a lovely dinner with him and I treasure that I snapped a few photos. It was the last time we got to see him.
Uncle Terry had a good heart, and knew how to leave a lasting impression. Those of you who knew him well I hope have a smile on your face as you read that last line. For me, I will never forget my first conversation with him.
Micah and I had been dating for some time and I was working in the office of his parent's company for the summer. I was instructed by their full time secretary to carefully screen any calls going through to Larry. The phone rang and I answered. The man on the other end asked to speak with Larry. I asked who was calling and he replied "His Brother". I politely prompted, "His brother..." waiting for them to tell me their name. He replied "His BRO--THER". I asked again if he could please tell me his name, and he kept responding with only "His Brother!" I tried to tell him as professionally and politely as I could, that I was unable to put him through unless he told me his name, and we were at a stand still. I ended up hanging up as gracefully as I could. I quickly told Rachele about the conversation and in the midst of my explanation the phone rings again. She picked it up that time and quickly figured out that it was Uncle Terry. Naturally I was mortified that I had essentially hung up on my future Uncle. And he was sure to introduce himself as "HIS BRO--THER" when we met face to face a few weeks later. :)
Uncle Terry was a good man who loved and cared for his family deeply. He was a hard worker and I know will be forever missed.
Please pray for our family and cherish the moments you have with those you love. Because you truly don't know how much time you have left with them before they are called to Heaven.