The Call from Scott

I was going to blog about this yesterday, but I didn’t have the energy. I was thinking about Scott on Thursday and I even drove right by his house, even though I didn’t know it at the time. Scott and I go back a ways. Scott was a member of my former church back in the 80s and 90s. We became good friends as he and his son also played on the church softball team. He too works in construction, so we’ve shared some job prospects and traded some labor over the years. He has installed vinyl in our bathroom and near the front door.

Scott moved away from the Robbinsdale area in the 90s, but we kept in touch through similar interests and the fact that I’ve prepared his tax return for years. We touched base a few times within the past month to talk about work and taxes. Being one of the “construction guys,” whose returns I prepare, he fell into the same boat as many and procrastinated in getting his stuff together this year.

Scott had moved about 40 miles away to an old river town (now a suburb) southwest of Minneapolis. It has been at least three years since I’ve been to Chaska and since that’s were he now lives, I thought I might touch base with him and encourage him along. On Friday I was working on this house less than a mile from Scott’s home when I received a phone call. It was from Scott, or more correctly Scott’s sister. Scott had asked her to call some friends to let them know that Thursday night his oldest son Kyle was killed in a car accident.

Scott’s sister was shaken as she tried to relay the news to me, as I too was shaken and crushed. Kyle was a few years ahead of my boys, but they remember him well. I got to know him through youth group at church and on the softball field.

Two years ago an almost identical situation took place. A good friend Jim, a carpenter who’s also worked on our house, lost a son at the same age to an automobile accident.

There is hope in the fact that both boys were believers, but losing a child at any age, much less an early age is still so tragic and numbing. I pray for the peace and comfort that only Christ can provide at such a trying time. These two friends will live with the “whys” for the rest of their lives, but I pray that Jesus would hold them close. He promises to bring good out of all things, even the very, very bad.

Update on Jim: I had a chance to talk with Jim & his wife a few weeks ago. They still struggle with their loss each day, but God has been good in comforting and helping them as they live each new day without their son.

I thank God that I will be working near Scott’s house this next week, and hope that He can use me to comfort Scott during these difficult days.