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| the man, the myth, the legend. |
I’m sitting here in our Uncle’s
kitchen in North Louisiana, trying to put my thoughts together and get my head
around the unexpected turn that our family’s journey took last week. Today we’ll get ready and return back home to
SE Texas, another 5-hour road trip after a week full of highway miles, camping
out in relatives’ living rooms, funeral preparations, memorial services, and
laying to rest one of the greatest men that any of us have ever known.
Last Friday night, just as we
were sitting down to supper, I got a call from Shannon’s parents’
driveway. The paramedics were there,
working to revive her dad. As he had
done so many times before, he put the evening plans on hold for a little while
so that he could help a friend fix their car.
He told his wife it was a simple fix, wouldn’t take long, and afterward
they’d still have time to go to the grandson’s taekwondo class… and the friend would
have a reliable ride to work the next day.
Another neighbor came over, and the three men were talking as Dad fixed
the problem.
What a gift that was. Thanks be to God for providing the extra man.
As he was working, Dad told his
friends he needed to sit down and rest.
As he did so, he fell over, and began a much longer rest than anyone who
knew him had ever anticipated. That man
worked his whole life as an automotive technician, and he was not the kind to
slow down or rest or take breaks. He had
a knack for fixing things – it was truly a gift from the Most High, and one
that he used to the best of his ability.
Even after he retired a year and a half ago, he did not stop working to
help his family, neighbors, and friends.
So many friends.
One of those friends called 911
to get help, then ran inside to get his wife.
The other friend stayed with him, offering comfort and support to a man
who no longer needed it, as we later found out.
We prayed from our dining room, hours away, while his other daughter and
her husband raced to be with their parents.
Bubba was brought to a local hospital, where it was confirmed that he
was gone, and the shock of it all began to settle in for our family, their
community, and his friends. So many
friends.
Back at our home, we worked with
my brother, making plans to get there by lunchtime Saturday. Brother - that’s how we think of each other
in this family. Though he and I married into
the Stroziers, we’ve never been “in laws”; we’ve always been sons and brothers. That’s how it is with this family, always so
open and loving and willing to share. And
that’s just what everyone did for my crew this week, starting with our amazing
(local SETX) friends who loaned us their van for a week after we found out our
a/c was not running – that’s kind of important when you’re hauling 10 people
and a kitten around for 30+ hours in the, um, warm summer environment that the
Gulf Coast offers in July. Another family
has taken care of our house (and other animals) that we left behind in a hurry
as we hit the road for a week away. I’ve
also been on the receiving end of a lot of grace and compassion from my team
and co-workers at my job, who have given me the time and space I needed to be
with the family and offered prayer and support along the way. So grateful for all these friends.
Our (Louisiana) family has been
amazing in the way they’re opened their homes to us, giving us places to stay, providing
meals, sharing their homes so our crew could run out their wiggles or retreat
and process the events of the week, get cleaned up, get some rest, do some
laundry, and share this impossible, unwanted, amazing week with our family and
friends. So many friends.
As we gathered – especially at
the memorial services – we heard so many stories about Bubba Strozier. The amazing man he was, the generous,
selfless way he lived. He had so.many.friends. One story I heard along the way was how he
recently needed a haircut, and for some reason or another had to go to a different
place than he normally did. After his
first visit to that shop, he walked out with phone numbers of two new friends that
he made while getting that haircut. I’m
sure that if time would have allowed, he would have made good on his intentions
to get them in his hunting lease, probably fixed their vehicles, and become
lifelong friends with them, too.
A man once came
to Jesus and asked him what the “big commandment” was. Leaving aside the fact that this may or may
not have been a sincere question from a person/group who may or may not have
wanted to use his answer against him, our Lord told him, basically,
All of it is important. It starts with
listen with the intention to obey, and the first thing to hear is love
the Lord your God heart, soul, mind, and strength. Give him everything you have. And be loving toward your friends. If you do this, the rest will fall into
place.
That word in the second
command is usually translated “neighbor”, but might be better translated friend.
If you’re even somewhat familiar with
the Bible or Christianity, you probably know the story Jesus told to answer the
follow-up question …and who is my neighbor/friend? The parable of the Good Samaritan shows that
we are to act in loving, compassionate, care-giving ways to anyone that we
happen to cross paths with, not just the ones who live next door to us.
This acting out our faith, this
care-providing, friendly way of interacting with the world around us comes very
easy to people who are already walking according to the first commandment,
who realize that the same God who saved them and continues to provide for their
needs will also give (or replace) the resources they need to be loving to their
friends, whether it’s lifelong relationships, new contacts you just made while
getting a haircut…
…or the guys with you in the
driveway while you’re working on a car.
Praise God for our friends, and
for our dad, who showed us all how to apply the second commandment and be
loving towards our friends.
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