I am not a superstitious person, no black cats, no busting mirrors and no black cat’s busting mirrors under a ladder can get me to believe in coincidences as a rule…. but the three thing got pretty close this month.
My church had an Autumn Jubilee community outreach music fest planned for the 10th. I was responsible to appear (is it appear if it’s on radio?) Â looking it up quick, I guess on radio you are doing a ‘spot’.
I had to do two spots for my churches shin – dig. One on the 1st and one on the 8th at 8:30 a.m. on a local radio program that offers a community hour on Thursday morning’s.
I wasn’t really prepared and didn’t know quite what to expect as this would be my first on – air moment.
So I told myself, “Just read the information on the flyer.”
I felt better but just as I was reaching for the door to go in, my sister sends me a text, “Aunt Polly died”, right as I’m walking in.
“Ok devil, you know I’m talking about our outreach program today for church and I’m not completely settled in but you are not ‘cutting in on me’ today!”
As I reached my chair I started to pray and watch the professional radio people do their thing, I thought to myself, “just do what they do, watch for the ques and then let er’ rip tater chip!”
It worked out. The gentleman ahead of me was talking about the town’s October fest or Beer fest weekend coming up and I thought, “Of course I would have to follow that”, being from Wisconsin and knowing that beer and Wisconsin go together like… well, beer and Wisconsin.
He did offer me a good segue though, I started where he left off but used the bible verse, “do not be drunk on wine but be filled with the spirit.”
Once I started talking the rest went real well.
Aunt Polly was #1. I did not attend the church music jubilee, I attended my aunts funeral on the 10th instead.
On the 8th, out of left field we received a call from my wife’s cousin in Michigan. My wife’s Aunt Betty passed away suddenly. Or so we thought. Turns out she was real sick for quite some time, she just didn’t tell anybody. #2
On the 10th at my Aunts funeral I received another text, this one from my wife, she wrote, “Dad isn’t doing well”. My father in law was in the VA hospital for the last couple years and also on the 8th my father in law had a major stroke, so the text on Saturday wasn’t a shock.
Then on the 14th my father in law passed away. #3
His name was Dennis Timm.
I knew him for almost thirty years. His last few I ended up helping him out quite a bit. My kid’s did too. Everything from mowing lawn and pulling weeds to going down to the house in the middle of the night to help him up off of the floor. He was a double amputee and used prosthetic legs. He would fall out of bed and would need help getting situated again.
Mostly though I would just sit and visit with him.
Two of my son’s found him the day he had multiple heart attacks and his pace maker and defibrillator had kept him alive. They called 911 and stayed with him until the ambulance arrived. That’s when he went into the VA hospital.
On the 11th talking with my oldest son about how hard it was getting up in the morning these last few weeks he said,
“Yea, the mornings are heavy, the dark is heavy.”
I laughed a short acknowledging laugh because he was right, he described it perfectly.
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