July 3, 2013

Good morning all-

Never doubt a true friend.  As I approached my house yesterday, I saw a beautiful plant sitting on the step.  All of the sudden I realized it was the anniversary of my brother's death.  He was a beautiful man.  He never said no and his friends meant so much to him.

On the fateful day that he died, we have pictures of him smiling and laughing.  He loved the outdoors and he loved Colorado.  Unfortunately, the two of them would meet and end up being the last place he would be alive.  That morning on July 2nd, my brother and 5 friends began a journey on one of the mountains in Colorado.  They had done it many times.  Although this mountain was new, they had watched hours of video, prepared, checked their gear and left to have a great adventure.  By 10 am that adventure would be over and my brother would be with God.  He fell thousands of feet and landed on the wrong side of the mountain, what happened next is a testimony to the love of friends.

His friends knew our family well but even in shock they knew they had to get him down.  The rest of the party went for help but it would be days before the police would retrieve his body off the mountain.  They knew they had to get him down.  Risking their lives they went to him and carried a dead 6 foot body weighing over 190 in muscle down the wrong side of the mountain.

I will never forget their commitment to him or the love they had for him.  His acts of raw kindness made two men risk their own lives to give his mother and father peace that he was off that mountain.  The years have not been easy for them.  They have both found Christ but the trauma of that day is ever present. When they see me, they get a tick in their eye and a sadness and yet joy comes across their faces.  My parents helped them by embracing them and not turning away.  Kurt took care of my mother and father.  He made sure that my dad's lawn looked great when he couldn't breathe well enough to mow all the time.  He made sure my mom got a plant every mother's day, just as if her son had brought it to her.

That's why I'm telling you, if you only have one true friend in this world, treasure her.  You never know what one friend will do over a thousand.  I will forever be grateful to these men who loved my brother and who continue to honor his memory.  They will never forget that day because they heard him yell as he fell, saw his lifeless body and carried him down the mountain.  His truck was at their house and we had to go and get it.  The day will forever be imprinted in their minds and in the minds of my family.  The blessing is that a true friend lasts far longer than a moment.

May God bless you with one true friend.  I hope He gives you someone to count on during your stay on this earth.  And of course, our greatest and truest friend is Jesus.  He loved us before we were born and will love us into eternity.  May God bless and keep you today and may His mighty hand be on you.  And for all of you that have lost someone, find comfort in Jesus, he never ends!

Until tomorrow...