Chemical Abuse | Death | Grief | Lost | Sin

THE SENSELESS LOSS OF LOVED ONES
It was clear and hot, as only July in west Texas can be. I sat on an uncomfortable metal folding chair beneath a green awning, my feet resting on fake grass. In front of me was a slightly oversized blue casket, covered with pink rosebuds. A dream, you say, a nightmare? Oh yes, a very real nightmare. Inside that casket were my only son and only granddaughter. The ministers at the funeral service spoke of cause and effect and sowing and reaping. The seeds of this destruction were sown many years ago when Paul abandoned his roll as peer leader, future doctor and outstanding student. His new friends glorified drugs, hated restrictions and believed they were immortal. These were his good friends, he would argue, they really cared about him. They would never let him down. Seeing two friends die and one completely paralyzed finally did what we could not do, and Paul came home. The years went…