A Test of Faith
Now that I have had a chance to catch my breath, I can make an attempt to throw some thoughts down on the proverbial paper...
Lately, work has been insanely busy. Here at Yale, all of the summer interns have begun working, and we have had a surge of problem Laptops show up. And when I mean surge, I mean five to six laptops a day on average. Usually we are used to seeing one or two a day, so for me this is a bit overwhelming; and the pressure is on to get them diagnosed, fixed, and then move on to the next broken laptop. Some of them are coming in with the new Windows Vista Operating System; and that topic could become a post on its own. Needless to say, not a whole lot of down time at work.
Life outside of work has been hectic and eventful as well. Most recently was the tragic death of the Pastor of my church. Pastor Bridges was possibly the nicest man you could have ever met. He was the one that married Rosie and I last year, and he was going to be the one to remarry us at our "official" wedding. He was very kind, compassionate, and always knew everyone's name. He still had a little southern twang when he spoke, the remnants of his childhood in Alabama. Not only was he an excellent man, but he was a valued leader and Senior Pastor in our community. He was highly respected and regarded, and was well connected with the community, the church, and the school. Quite simply, everyone loved him and he loved everyone.
His tragic death was devastating to the community, and a heavy blow to everyone who knew him. He had led the people, the church, and the community for fifteen years; and in one horrible instant...he was gone; leaving a hole that even now people are still trying to comprehend. The shock of his death was felt by everyone, and they had to end the school year two days early because of his untimely death. Oskar was deeply affected by this tragedy, and asked to come home early the Monday they told the students. He spent the remainder of that day curled up in his mothers' lap.
Very little is known about the details of his death. He was a healthy man, went running every morning; and exercising regularly (although I am amazed he found the time). He was only 53 years old, and was in excellent health. Outside of church, Pastor had only one other true passion; and that was for vintage cars and motorcycles. It was something that he enjoyed, and loved, and not too surprisingly; it was what he was doing when he died.
He was traveling on a local road, the same road that he would take every Sunday afternoon after church. He was a extremely careful and competent motorist, and when biking, he wore all the proper protection. It was a beautiful spring day, and he was taking his son's motorcycle out for a drive, and somehow lost control of the motorcycle. There was no other vehicle involved, and to this day no one is really sure what happened. All that is known is that by the time the paramedics arrived, it was too late, and he died on the way to the hospital.
This whole event is so difficult to comprehend... the apparent senselessness of it. Here was a man who was valued and respected, he was the anchor to an entire community; and now he is gone in one freak accident. The words on everyone's lips are the same: Why? What is the reason behind this horrible tragedy? He was survived by a wife, and two children; and was to celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary less then a week before he died. Why did this have to happen?
It's almost too much to try to comprehend, and many times I have seen people weeping and asking "Why? Why him? Why Now?" No one has a clear answer. We are told that he has earned his place eternally in Heaven; and that it was God's will. The Lord has his reasons, which we have no knowledge of; and that we can only rely on our faith, and that the Lord will not forsake us. The people look to our church for answers, and find none that can comfort them.
For many, to call upon their faith for comfort is too much to ask. The church attendance has dropped sharply since the awful accident. Rosie and I have continued to go to church, but the search for answers continues. It's so difficult to continue in the face of such an awful senseless accident; with reasons and answers that are unobtainable and will remain so.
Where does one find comfort when faced with such a loss? Even the leaders of our congregation are slow to answer. But, I will continue to go to church, if nothing more then to honor the memory of Pastor Bridges; I am sure that is what he would want me to do. That was his one true passion and one true love, and it will continue on with me.
Lately, work has been insanely busy. Here at Yale, all of the summer interns have begun working, and we have had a surge of problem Laptops show up. And when I mean surge, I mean five to six laptops a day on average. Usually we are used to seeing one or two a day, so for me this is a bit overwhelming; and the pressure is on to get them diagnosed, fixed, and then move on to the next broken laptop. Some of them are coming in with the new Windows Vista Operating System; and that topic could become a post on its own. Needless to say, not a whole lot of down time at work.
Life outside of work has been hectic and eventful as well. Most recently was the tragic death of the Pastor of my church. Pastor Bridges was possibly the nicest man you could have ever met. He was the one that married Rosie and I last year, and he was going to be the one to remarry us at our "official" wedding. He was very kind, compassionate, and always knew everyone's name. He still had a little southern twang when he spoke, the remnants of his childhood in Alabama. Not only was he an excellent man, but he was a valued leader and Senior Pastor in our community. He was highly respected and regarded, and was well connected with the community, the church, and the school. Quite simply, everyone loved him and he loved everyone.
His tragic death was devastating to the community, and a heavy blow to everyone who knew him. He had led the people, the church, and the community for fifteen years; and in one horrible instant...he was gone; leaving a hole that even now people are still trying to comprehend. The shock of his death was felt by everyone, and they had to end the school year two days early because of his untimely death. Oskar was deeply affected by this tragedy, and asked to come home early the Monday they told the students. He spent the remainder of that day curled up in his mothers' lap.
Very little is known about the details of his death. He was a healthy man, went running every morning; and exercising regularly (although I am amazed he found the time). He was only 53 years old, and was in excellent health. Outside of church, Pastor had only one other true passion; and that was for vintage cars and motorcycles. It was something that he enjoyed, and loved, and not too surprisingly; it was what he was doing when he died.
He was traveling on a local road, the same road that he would take every Sunday afternoon after church. He was a extremely careful and competent motorist, and when biking, he wore all the proper protection. It was a beautiful spring day, and he was taking his son's motorcycle out for a drive, and somehow lost control of the motorcycle. There was no other vehicle involved, and to this day no one is really sure what happened. All that is known is that by the time the paramedics arrived, it was too late, and he died on the way to the hospital.
This whole event is so difficult to comprehend... the apparent senselessness of it. Here was a man who was valued and respected, he was the anchor to an entire community; and now he is gone in one freak accident. The words on everyone's lips are the same: Why? What is the reason behind this horrible tragedy? He was survived by a wife, and two children; and was to celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary less then a week before he died. Why did this have to happen?
It's almost too much to try to comprehend, and many times I have seen people weeping and asking "Why? Why him? Why Now?" No one has a clear answer. We are told that he has earned his place eternally in Heaven; and that it was God's will. The Lord has his reasons, which we have no knowledge of; and that we can only rely on our faith, and that the Lord will not forsake us. The people look to our church for answers, and find none that can comfort them.
For many, to call upon their faith for comfort is too much to ask. The church attendance has dropped sharply since the awful accident. Rosie and I have continued to go to church, but the search for answers continues. It's so difficult to continue in the face of such an awful senseless accident; with reasons and answers that are unobtainable and will remain so.
Where does one find comfort when faced with such a loss? Even the leaders of our congregation are slow to answer. But, I will continue to go to church, if nothing more then to honor the memory of Pastor Bridges; I am sure that is what he would want me to do. That was his one true passion and one true love, and it will continue on with me.