Saturday, May 13, 2006 – the day before Mother’s Day…

 

It’s true. You never know when you awake what the day holds in store. Saturday, May 13, 2006 was a beautiful sunny day. It was also a day that would forever change our family. My wife Lynne and I were in Hendersonville, Tennessee visiting our daughter Emily and her husband Alan. Around 9:30am my cell phone rang.

 

“Hey Dad, what are you doing?” It was our son Colby calling from his apartment in Gainesville, Georgia. No matter the purpose of the call, this was always Colby’s standard phone greeting.

 

“Nothing, what’s up?” This was my standard response to his standard greeting.

 

“I was just checking to make sure you’ll be home in time to meet us for dinner tonight” he said.

 

“We’ll be there” I said.

 

Exactly one week earlier Colby had celebrated his 26th. birthday. Three weeks earlier he and Holli had become engaged. This day was also the day of Holli’s graduation from North Georgia College and State University. We were going to return to Georgia that afternoon and then join Colby, Holli and her family for an evening dinner to celebrate Holli’s graduation and for them to announce their wedding date.

 

We said good-bye to each other. I did not tell him how proud we were of him. I did not tell him how much we loved him. How could I have known that we would never get another chance to say those things?

 

Later that day we began the drive home to Georgia. We were not far from Nashville when Lynne’s cell phone rang. She gasped and asked me to stop the car. She could barely say the words. Colby had collapsed at his apartment and was being rushed to a hospital in Gainesville. EMT’s were making every effort to save his life. We sped on, all the time praying and crying and making frantic phone calls to try and get any information we could. All we knew was that Colby had been taken to the hospital, he was on a ventilator, and his condition was classified as ‘grave’. It took us nearly 3 hours to reach Gainesville. As we rushed into the emergency area it was obvious from the faces of those waiting that Colby was gone. Colby’s grandparents and Emily and Alan were all on their way to meet us at the hospital. We had to call them and tell them it was too late. Colby died about 2 hours before we reached the hospital.

 

We could not sleep at all that night. The sun broke through our windows at dawn. It was Mother’s Day. We were overcome with the pain of knowing that as sure as the sun rises, we would never again see Colby in this life. Around 7:00am the phone rang. It was Lifelink, the organ donor organization for Georgia. They wanted us to consider donating Colby’s skin, bone tissue and corneas. As difficult as this was, we agreed to their request. Lifelink handled everything over the phone and they were very sensitive to our grief. As hard as it was, we knew it was the right thing for us and that Colby would have wanted it.

 

Later that morning Colby’s friend, Kate, went to his apartment to get his Bible and his journal for us. As we began to read through his journal we were impressed with the depth of his writing and his walk with the Lord. His jounal continues to be a great source of strength and it serves to remind us of God’s great promises and provisions. It is truly our most treasured possession. We are grateful for the way God continues to use it in our lives and we pray that it will do the same for you.

 

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 was the day we buried our son. It was very simple. We decided not to have any viewing or service at a funeral home. Our church has a small secluded cemetary and we buried Colby there with only family and close friends in attendance. Then we met at our church, not for a funeral, but for a Celebration Service. The church was filled with family and friends. Many of us wore flip-flops (Colby’s standard footwear) in his honor. The service, with music, testimonies, and remembrances of Colby, was very uplifting. Colby’s close friends Ken and Josh spoke. His buddy JRich sang. His brother-in-law Alan sang one of Colby’s favorite songs, “I Can Only Imagine”. I was able to speak briefly, recounting some things from Colby’s life and thanking everyone for all they had meant to us. Looking back, this day was one of the easiest we’ve had.

 

We are grateful and blessed by our many friends, our church, and our families who have shared in our grief and continue to voice prayers on our behalf. All we can say is “Thank you, we love you!”.

 

I can only imagine when that day comes and I find myself standing in the Son.

I can only imagine when all I will do is forever worship You.

I can only imagine!

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel?

Will I dance for You Jesus, or in awe of You be still?

Will I stand in Your presence, to my knees will I fall?

Will I sing Hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all?

I can only imagine!