Sadness

Word came today that Ned, my niece’s husband, has lost his brother in an accident on a ranch. Ranching and farming are among the most dangerous professions. Kent was the oldest of the four boys. They are a close knit family especially since their father died about 11 years ago and their mother died in 2004.

The Johnersons taught their boys well. Ned is such a wonderful husband to Terri and a great father to his kids as well as a loving grandfather. We were all impressed when he gave his wife a trip to see Celine Dion. Now that is not a trip that most men would have chosen – no sports are involved. But more than that, he wrote a poem for her. That bar has been set very high.

Just thinking about losing a sibling makes my heart melt. I am so fortunate that all five of my sisters are still living. I know that we will all die some day, but it is hard to embrace that. We have experienced the deaths of Mmmm’s two sisters and his brother. We have experienced the deaths of parents, but somehow siblings should not leave us.

Ned, Mark and Dan have been on my mind as I think about them absorbing this news about Kent. They will probably go through the stages of grief. They will think about Kent’s little boy and what will happen to him. There will always be a hole in their family. All the conflicts or arguments there may have been, will be forgotten and they will remember the good things. That is what we do. That is what we must do, to heal. The boys were brought up in the church and we trust that Kent had faith in Christ and there will be a glorious reunion one day. Meanwhile, we hug our sisters and brothers and partners and children a little tighter, we look at them a little more closely, listen a little more carefully, and, as the Bible says about Mary, we treasure those things and ponder them in our hearts.

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