My wife and I learned yesterday evening that our thirty year old nephew, the son of my wife’s sister, was found dead in his apartment by his father earlier in the afternoon. There were no signs of foul play and the death appears to be of natural causes.
Obviously it is a shock to learn that someone so young, and for no apparent logical reason, has passed away. A death such as this quickly brings to mind our own mortality, but I believe that it also brings about the realization that none of us will get out of this life alive. However, for those left behind, especially those close to the person who has died so young, we wonder why, but alas there is no answer.
I have heard comments from time to time that seem to reflect the frustration some folks have over a young person dying, i.e., “Why did he have to die so young, he had his whole life ahead of him”, or “It isn’t fair, he didn’t have a chance to really live”. Yet, those comments really provide no answers, nor do they provide comfort or solace to those who feel the loss. I am writing about this subject because it allows me some catharsis, because I too wonder why.
After receiving notification of our nephew’s death, I set about making notifications to my sons and daughters. Since my son Jason is currently serving in Afghanistan, I was unable to call him, so I called his wife Susan and ask that she pass along the information to Jason, since he calls her as frequently as he can. She indicated that he would probably call her in the morning – Sunday – as he often does.
At around 11:30 a.m. this morning, I received a telephone call from Jason. He had spoken with his wife and was calling to check on his mom and I, and to pass along his heartfelt condolences. Unfortunately the telephone connection was very bad, so the call was of relatively short duration, which was disappointing, but at least my wife, daughter Kate and I all had a chance to speak with him and to know that he was okay.
After having talked with Jason, I felt conflicted in a strange way. Because I worry about him serving in harm’s way in Afghanistan, I was overjoyed to hear from him and that he was okay; however, my feelings of sorrow over my young nephew, as well as trying to reconcile the grief that my sister-in-law was suffering over the loss of her son were a strange combination of emotions I found that I was experiencing. This was further compounded by the follow up email I received from Jason a short while after the telephone call from him. I would like to share the part of his email which exacerbated my conflict of emotion. Jason wrote, “Just wanted to talk to someone. I'm just heart broken about Dax. We lost four Team guys to an IED today and then I heard about Dax. I still can't believe it, I just want to be home and put my hands on everyone that I love. I'm really tired from thinking about death…”. Once again I felt great relief that my son was okay but in my joy, I felt such anguish for the families who had lost their sons today. And then I found that I was asking why…Why do these brave young me have to die when their whole lives lie ahead of them? Alas I do not know the answers, but my thoughts and prayers are with their families, as they are with my sister-in-law and her family.
This Memorial Day is truly a day that I will remember, because it has a special meaning for me. The events that have occurred involving our family, have left an indelible mark that cannot be forgotten. These events have caused me to take inventory of the blessings and freedom I enjoy, and to say thank you to all of the men and women who have served and are serving in our Military. I am truly astonished and amazed that for over two centuries, men and women of our Military have been willing to serve, to fight and to die to preserve our freedom as a nation. I pray that God will bless and protect the members of our Military, their families and continue his blessings on our Great Nation.
No comments:
Post a Comment