Yesterday

Yesterday, Father's Day, I went to the funeral of this young man, Josh Howle, age 23, in his final year at the University of Georgia School of Veterinary Science. At least 50 of his classmates choose be at the funeral.

Josh and his brother Jerry were part of our Plainview Elementary School/Family. As the minister said. The heart of the community has been broken. This minister, who I had never met, but had grown up in the community and pastored in North Carolina, said he had never met a finer man than Josh Howle. That says a whole lot to me.

He said a lot of people were saying how said for him to die just before he got to be a vet. He said not so. Josh has been a vet his whole life. He has been taking care of people's animals for free. He said you can tell what people's passion is when they do it for free. There is a lot of truth in those words people.

Three cousins and their two aunts (I taught 3 of the five) sang Beulah Land. It was beautiful. It made you want to go there right now; and it made you glad Josh was there.

The closing hymn the congregation sang Jesus is Calling......Josh had been playing it on the piano at home before he left for the errand where he had the accident that took his life. Coincident? I don't think so.

When Josh was in fourth or fifth grade I wrote a grant to get a Poet in Residence come to our school for a week. She worked with the 4-7th graders every day. I was amazed; she taught them pretty much what she taught her college students and they got it. I remember Josh wrote some beautiful poems about his Dad and his Mom. We made an anthology; I'm going up to school today to see if their a copy left anywhere so I can take it to them for comfort. Pray I find it.

We just don't know how long we have our children.....or grandchildren....or husbands....or parents....cherish them today......we may not have tomorrow.