Last night as I was grilling, it started drizzling a little (followed by a 15 minute downpour) and a huge clap of thunder and lightening happened, and MBFF’s DD6 screamed and ran to her mother and we all laughed.  We laughed and thought nothing of it.  Sure it was loud and nearby, but that happens all the time (especially lately!) so we just grilled on.

A few minutes after I posted this morning, I went to our local newspaper’s website to read about the various fireworks displays this evening and saw my hometown mentioned in the sidebar, which is unusual … nothing ever really goes on here.  

I have been horrified ever since.

On the street next to mine, half mile away, a 35 year old man was struck by that lightening and killed.  He also happens to be the father to my DD’s very close friend - I have a picture of her on my microwave right now posing with DD at her tea party at my house.  She was here with her mom celebrating DD’s 6th birthday, she was in her kindergarten class … she spilled hot cocoa from her tea cup all over her white dress.  Her mom laughed about it.  They have another daughter also.  And their father/husband is just gone.  His wife, the little girl’s mother, is also in my kickboxing class.  I walked out with her Thursday evening … she was talking to other friends about Friday, saying that she hadn’t realized her husband had off because of the holiday.  Thinking about it now makes my stomach turn.

He was going to work on their treehouse when it happened.

I drove by their house.  I am like in a daze.  I keep thinking - all this that we go through, ALL that we do to protect our children and our loved ones safe - don’t matter one damn bit.  Why do horrendous things happen to people like this? 

I don’t feel like doing anything.  I don’t want the kids to know … I am going through the motions.  I played baseball with them an hour and a half this afternoon.  They want to go to fireworks tonight, I don’t want to go.  I just cannot believe this.  It’s just too - surreal.  Bizarre.  Sudden.  UNFAIR.  That sounds stupid, but it is unfair.  What was God’s purpose in doing that???  I don’t understand.

I wonder what she is doing right now … his wife.  I know she has many friends and lots of family in the community, and that is great because she will need them.  My heart absolutely breaks for them.  I am in my backyard right now, and I can hear the festival in the village from here because the sounds travel through the rail trail, and a couple other parties in the neighborhood.  I can’t imagine celebrating.

I keep standing in the kitchen looking at the little girl and wondering if she will remember him.