loss

We had a terrible loss in our "family" this week. Jennifer's nephew Brandon Hay, the son of Don and Lorie Hay, was killed in a horrific automobile accident. He was only 17 years old. He was a gifted musician entering the prime of his life. His two cousins, Krissie and Kimmie are asking "why Brandon?" I don't know "why". What I do know is that our lives will never be the same. Whether life will have more meaning for us and whether we become better people as a result of this "lesson offered" is up to us.

Krissie and Kimmie, it is natural for us to become angry with "things" that are out of our control. We cannot control death and it frightens us. At a very stressful point in my life, my fears manifested themselves in anger ~ an anger I could not explain. Once I learned that the anger was really fear, I was better able to deal with my anger. We all fear death and have a very difficult time finding meaning in the finality of it all, especially when it happens to someone so young as Brandon. Life is not fair. I do know that we can only control our actions and how we react to life's injustices. I have every confidence that you both will value life even more now and will honor Brandon's life with a life lived to its fullest. I love you both so very much. My heart is heavy and weeps for your pain.

Grandpa Skip