Happy Father's Day

[Weave]

Back off.

 

You get the first one.  I hear Uganda is gorgeous this time of year.

[Doohicksie]

He kinda looks like Sam Reinheardtdt

 

Very nice.

My Father's Day was kind of low key.  My wife and I went to a concert last weekend; the tix were my Father's Day present.  My younger son took me out for a burger Saturday and my other son was busy and just called.  So I didn't actually do any Father's Day stuff on Father's Day.

[Neo]

I’m not sure how the following will affect anyone. I write to organize my world. It brings me peace. I share because you have come to mean so much to me. You’ve shared, I’ve felt, and I’ve learned. No replies needed. I’ll feel you all.

 

Life’s beautiful. Life’s fragile. Kiss your kids ..

 

My wife has a close friend who, along with others in their crowd, visited Friday night. It was girls night out, held in. The five ladies chatted upon arrival as I puttered about, preparing to make myself scarce. Starbucks and Krauthammer essays, for me, while the girls would, well, be girls.

 

As I simultaneously greeted and said goodbye to my wife’s friends, one noticed the teary eyes of another. You can imagine the gentle urges to share. Among friends, she did.

 

It seems her daughter and son in law have two best friends who’d married one another. Well, they’d not actually married. They’d been together for ten years and had three kids. Close enough, today. The couple’s oldest boy and my wife’s friend’s grandson are each eight years old. With parents as best friends, and being the same age, the two boys spend considerable time together in and out of school. My wife’s friend was their regular babysitter. No surprise there.

 

The story continues.

 

Earlier that day, the other family’s boy was with his grandparents. Grandpa has a four wheeler, and took the boy for a ride. Grandpa let the eight year old “drive” while sitting in Grandpa’s lap. Imagine the shrieking joy!

 

As it does from time to time, welcomed or not, expected or not, fate intervened. The fate that arrived was particularly unsettling, cruel, and unwanted. Worst of all, it was the purposeless and unneeded fate that shakes the fundamental beliefs we have and rearranges our world. Did you hear me, unneeded! Fate, it seems, intervened for no good, and considerably bad, reason. I’m sure you’re guessing where this is going.

 

The four wheeler flipped. Grandpa pulled it from atop his now unresponsive grandson. Tampa General sent its helicopter. For thirty minutes, grandpa administered CPR as best he could, alone with his broken grandson.

 

We learned yesterday that there’s been no brain activity since the boy arrived at TGH. His parents spent one last night with their beautiful boy, last night. I picture them crawling into his bed and stroking his hair. It was Father’s Day. Today, the little boy’s respirator was removed.

 

I believe there is a vision, a plan. Reconciling fate’s role is part of what makes us human. Fate gives rise to faith. That conclusion doesn’t come easily to me, today. It’s not for everyone. I have some questions for Him.

 

As I prepared for bed last night, I reflected. All in all, I had a pretty good day.

Edited June 18, 2018 by Neo

[Derrico]

Wow that's tough to read, as I'm sure it was to write. My boy is five, my parents recently moved out to the country and bought a 4 wheeler. This story resonates. Life ain't fair sometimes is it?

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Neo,

 

That's really rough.  Man, life isn't easy a lot of the time.

 

We love you.  Thoughts and Prayers sent out.

[Neo]

^ Thank you. I must say, though, that I don’t know the family personally. What brought me here was fate, faith and Father’s Day. I feel only the loss that we all feel. Of course, that’s the immense point.