Life, Death and the Pursuit of Happiness

As a person goes through life you encounter a roller coaster of events that always leave me wondering what am I supposed to take away from all of this.

My day on Friday started with the news that a co-worker's infant son had to be been flown via life flight from Holdrege to Omaha because he had been found unconscious at day care.  After hours of medical treatments and heroic efforts to save the young life nothing could be done and sadly the boy died.  A tragedy in anybody’s book.  Nobody can understand why a young life is taken from us.

The second piece of news I received on Friday was also involving death.  Long time principal at Lincoln Christian Levi Kroeker had also passed away.  Earlier in the week Levi had collapsed at home.  Levi had just returned home from teaching the sixth grade Bible class.  It wasn't  a coinsidance that Levi ended his life teaching a Bible class.

Levi was in his 70's and spend his life teaching elementary students about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Again friends and families are left wondering why now.  But in the case of Levi we can look back on a long life and praise God for all his servant Levi had done.  He made a direct impact on thousands of people including the Chapin family.  He was a true missionary in our mist.

The third piece of news was delivered by my sister, Nancy.  She had received a call from our Mom telling her that our Dad was in a Florida hospital and they weren't sure what was wrong with him.  They thought it was something like an appendicitis or gall stones but they were unsure.  It wasn't a life or death situation but it does bring home the idea that one day we all receive a call that does line out a  dire situation.  I was relieved my Dad would be OK but yet it was a chilling reminder that someday the news won't be this "good."

That was Friday. It was time for the weekend.

So what did a do with my weekend?  If this was a novel things would take turn for the worse and only get more dramatic.  This is just a long note, not  a novel.

Over the weekend I went to 3 basketball games, enjoyed a drama at the local high school, watched football, went to church, coached a baseball practice and read the Great Gatsby.  For the most part pretty meaningless. 

My daughter's basketball seemed to be very dramatic coming down to free throws with 3 seconds on the clock.  The teammate made the free throw and the won by 1.

The football was also nail biting. 

Some might even think that I think baseball is life.  I fact I have 2 tee shirts that say that just that!!!  But it's not.

Friday's events kept the weekend's fun in perspective with the realization that life is precious and I should treat it as such.