the busy ant empire

It takes but a moment of choice.

This weekend my parents lost a dear old friend of theirs to an event that should have never been.

He went to school with my mom. Loving husband, caring father, and good friend. The best-man at my uncle's wedding. The kindness of strangers can save your life, but not everyone is kind and sometimes it takes your life.

He was leaving the bar after a day of hunting. As he the packed bar he bumped into a man he didn't know. We find out later that this man has been recently let out of jail where he was staying for assault charges. Drunk and enraged by this accidental run in the stranger followed him outside and sucker punched him in the back of the head.

It takes but a moment of choice.

He fell from the blow hitting his head on the concrete. We later learn that oxygen was deprived from the brain for over 8 minutes. Flight-for-Life was called and he was rushed to the hospital, but the damage to the brain was too severe. Later the next day he was taken off life support. Fortunately he was an organ donor and even in death was able to help others.

Rewind roughly two weeks before the tragic incident. He discovers that his lovely wife who had recently battle and won against breast cancer had come out of remission and the cancer was not only back but in her skull.

My mother had grown up with both of them and they had been very close. "How could something like this happen? Why would God let this happen?" She asked me. She had cry the whole previous day and I could see she was too worn out of cry anymore. I didn't have an answer.

Life is too short, you never know what it will throw at you, and you never know when it ends.

It takes but a moment of choice.