Sam

I'm not feeling much like blogging today.  My heart is too heavy with the loss of our nephew, Sam, who was killed in a car wreck yesterday.  Just a few thoughts about his short life.

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Sam was a kid that the Lord really wanted to be born.

When I first started "going steady" with Dennis in my senior year of high school people at school would say "You mean OWEN Carey's brother???"  My future brother-in-law, was, how shall I say this?  A hell-raiser.  He was constantly in trouble with some authority or another. Even after he did a tour in Viet Nam and returned, when you thought he might have matured, he finally wound up fleeing to New Hampshire a few steps ahead of the cops.

He got married there, had a couple of kids and then one day we got a phone call from him. "Guess what!  I'm a Christian now!"

We turned to each other and said "Sure.  Wonder how long that will last."

But we were amazed and thrilled to find that God had done the changing, not Owen, and the guy who never did anything in a small way became an evangelist, a preacher, a church planter and is still, despite our  initial doubts, so "Radically Saved" that anyone around him wants what he has.

Along the way there were more kids born, five, in about ten years time.  Owen was gone a lot and Esther, his wife, was worn out!  In fact, there were difficulties with her fifth pregnancy and she had to be hospitalized for several months. It was time to stop.  No more kids.  Of course I was very discreet in my suggestions.  "Stop!" I said.  "You're crazy!" I said. "Owen, you need to take care of this." I said.  Not that I ever interfere in anybody's private life.

Owen just smiled and instead of telling me to mind my own business, said "I'm waiting on God."  And God wanted Sam to be born.

He was the last, the baby. He had some learning challenges so Esther spent more time with him than she had the others because she both home schooled him and drove him several hours a week to special classes.  Owen was able to spend more time with him as Sam's basketball career took off.  Did I mention he grew to be six feet, eight inches tall?

Sam was recruited to play basketball for the local college, then he played a season in Uruguay, a season in Germany, and then this year, with the NBA sitting out and Canada still going strong in basketball, Sam was recruited to play there.

In between basketball seasons Sam met Kayte and this summer Brayden was born.  I've been following them on Facebook and you've never seen a prouder daddy.  Brayden had some severe health problems when he was born, and Sam was constantly with him. When Brayden finally got to go home from the hospital and Kayte went back to work, Sam was a stay-at-home dad.  Brayden was no bigger than the palm of Sam's big hand at first, but Sam changed diapers, gave baths, rocked and fed, the whole nine yards.  Or is that full-court press?

The basketball season started and Sam left to go play basketball in Canada to support his family.  He couldn't be home every day but the communication was constant.  They Skyped so Sam could see Brayden and Brayden could see his daddy. Then on Tuesday Sam had a few days available and he was headed home to his family.

We'll never know what happened next.  Was he hurrying too much?  Probably so.  Did he try to make the trip on too little sleep because he was so anxious to see Kayte and Brayden?  Maybe. The emergency crew did all they could do.  The doctors did all they could do.  It wasn't enough.  No matter what the cause here on earth, God was ready to take Sam home.
 
Twenty-six years is such a short time. Sam packed them full of life.  Our hearts are breaking here on earth but we are grateful for those twenty-six years.  They were exactly the length of time God planned for him.