God Help Us All

I have dealt with death all my life. It has been more than a job for me.

It’s more of a calling.

For the past several years I have been somewhat removed from the “personal” aspects of dealing with the death of people I know and love because I’ve moved away from that environment. I spend my days now dealing with the “business of death” instead of dealing with the personal impact of it.

I am at home this morning taking a couple of vacation days and about to head out of town on a speaking tour. I’m never at home at 8:30AM during the week.

But I was this morning.

I answered the phone this morning and in just a few moments my heart was in the pit of my stomach.

On the other end of the line was a very broken hearted young woman who was trying her best to ask me what she is supposed to do. Her husband, Charlie, who happens to be a lifelong friend of mine, died suddenly yesterday afternoon. He was somewhere around 46 years old. I may be off a year or two.

I could hardly even understand what she was saying. I have never been where Lynn Dykes is this morning but some of you have. And you know what she is going through.

I wrote on this blog site yesterday about generations of friendships in my hometown of Reynolds. This is a heart wrenching example.

Charlie Dykes’ grandmother, Mrs. Ogburn, was one of my first grade teachers and she and her husband were close friends with my grandparents. Mrs. Ogburn not only taught me in the first grade but she also taught my father… and my two brothers and sister. Charlie’s mom and dad, James and Louise Dykes, were lifelong friends with my mom and dad. Charlie’s son, Lee, spent many nights at our house because he and my youngest son, Luke, were close friends as they were growing up. I don’t have proof of it but I would imagine that my great grandparents and Charlie’s great grandparents were also friends.

That is five generations of friendships in our two families.

I may be wrong but most of the people who are reading this today have little experience with those kinds of bonds and ties. I can tell you they are the strongest bonds on earth. And those friendships are much more valuable than all the money in the world.

Over the years, Charlie and I have had several lengthy conversations about the brevity of life and the importance of our faith. I have no doubt in my mind that Charlie Dykes is in heaven today.

I’m not sure of all the details because the conversation was so difficult, but Charlie walked in the city hall yesterday afternoon looking for help from the paramedic who office’s there (who is also a lifelong friend). He was having chest pains. Charlie collapsed on the floor of the city hall.

In a split second a life on earth was over.

And the lives of those who knew and loved him will never be the same.

I say it all the time. I will say it again tonight when I stand before 400 people in Cullman Alabama.

Life really is a vapor. We are here one minute and gone the next.

There are only a few things that are really important.

And we spend most of our time spinning our wheels dealing with things that do not amount to a hill of beans.

God help us all.

And please be with this special family today.