Tom

Good evening everyone -

On this day one year ago our friend (and Ron's co-worker) Tom was severely injured on the job. I will never forget when Ron called me to say Tom got hurt. I thought...OK so we'll send a card. He'll be out of work for a couple days. Maybe we could make a caserole to take over for the family. In no way could anyone have been prepared for what was to come. Ron said, "No Beth. It's bad." Just shy of two weeks later we said goodbye to our friend.

If you'd like to read my two posts from a year ago, please visit here and here.

So, on this day, I'm asking people who visit this blog to please say a prayer for Tom's family. His wife and two children have been incredible witnesses this past year. INCREDIBLE. Also Tom's mother has continued to update his Caring Bridge site on a pretty regular basis with stories, memories, and prayers of her own. She is a beautiful writer. Tom now has a new niece born just a couple weeks ago. His brother and sister-in-law I can imagine are filled with mixed emotions of joy over the birth of their daughter and sadness at the loss of their brother. Their entire family is going to have some challenging days ahead of them as they re-live the experiences of a year ago. Prayers for peace during this time would mean so much.

Also, as I asked a year ago, please include the building trade workers in your prayers. We often forget that they are in dangerous positions everyday. I know I take for granted that Ron will be at the dinner table in the evening after a day of work. He just will. This day for our family will forever be a reminder to us of many many things, but included will be the important ideal that we must NEVER take our family for granted. Say "I love you" and mean it. Always kiss each other goodnight. Take EVERY hug you can get and hang on tight. These are lessons that Tom would want us to take with us. We miss you Tom. We love you Kim, Marlena, and Vincent. And, we're praying for your family on this day and always.

Beth, Ron, & Hope