An email from a friend

The following is an email I received from my friend Jake, I asked his permission to re post it here for others to read as I feel it is important to share.

Subject:"Tomorrow is an illusion"

Often times I have heard Sean speak those words and I try to keep them in the back of my head during the day to separate the bullshit (work and schedules) from the meaningful (family, friends and good times) moments in the day. Sunday, those words resurfaced.

Char and I have made a great new set of friends who a month ago moved to Savannah from Alabama. Kim and Nathan are 33 years old and have 3 beautiful children (2 girls ages 8 and 5 and a son age 3). Nathan is an anesthesiologist in town and Kim cares for the family. Nathan, a huge Bama fan, flew to Alabama for the football game Saturday and went out with 2 friends after the game. When no one heard from him Sunday morning, his friends said to try the bar where they had left him the night before. The police found him dead in the backseat of his car (sleeping one off we think). The police are still investigating. He leaves behind his wife and 3 kids.

Sunday, Char drove Kim and her kids to Atlanta and I followed in my car to bring Char home. We met their friends in Atlanta who drove from Birmingham to take Kim and the family the rest of the way and Char and I returned Sunday night.

Just a few comments of many that day to put things into perspective. As we were loading the car Sunday, Allison (age 5) asked me not to forget Daddy's shoes. I guess she has heard her dad say that to her over and over in the past. As I was loading clothes into the car, a pair of dress pants fell off the hanger. I didn't think too much of it, but as I was putting the pants back on the hanger, I realized these were not just a pair of slacks, but the pants Nathan would be wearing in the casket. To make matters worse, Kim was insistent we brought Nathan's Jeep keys so he could drive the Jeep back home after the funeral. She wasn't connecting that his car was at the Jacksonville airport and that Nathan was dead. Absolutely pitifully to see anyone go through this.

Sorry if I got you down or if I am rambling but I just needed to get a few things off my chest. Times like these really reaffirm whats important in your life. You guys make me and my life better. Tomorrow IS an illusion. How true!

Enjoy your life today and be thankful for all the good things we have.

Jacob