Empty

I can see the empty space in the parking lot from my desk.  Normally there would be an obnoxiously large black Ford truck barely crammed into the spot.  Normally there would be a child's car seat visible through the windshield.  Normally a gigantic man with a granite chin, impossibly broad shoulders and a huge barrel chest would sit in an office not two hundred feet from where I sit now.  His hands, those comically over-sized paws, gnarled from years of swinging a hammer as a general contractor, would click away at the comparatively minuscule keyboard as he worked tirelessly to prepare a quote for a customer or follow up with a sales lead.  Normally he would greet me with a wide grin and a booming hello in his huge baritone voice.  At the end of the day he would stand, stretch, sigh, smile, and plod off to that metal monstrosity in the parking lot.  He'd hop in, crank up whatever song was playing on the local Contemporary Christian radio station, and drive home to see his wife, children, and grandchildren.  Normally his two-year-old grandson Nathan would fly into his arms and squeeze him with every ounce of his toddler strength.


None of those things will happen today.


Late this morning, Ken Smith died in a hospital in Bloomington, Illinois.  He was fifty-five years old.


Thank you all for your prayers these last few days, and please continue to pray for Ken's family.  His wife Linda and daughters Rachel and Talea need those prayers now more than ever.

Normally, if I were having a particularly bad day, I would go talk to Ken and he would inevitably recall a passage from the Bible that had encouraged him recently. We'd chat for a few minutes and I would leave feeling optimistic.


I guess that won't happen today either.

An Emergency Request

Since launching this blog and watching its readership grow, I have hoped that its global reach might someday be used for some purpose beyond just baby news.  Half an hour ago I received an e-mail that convinced me that today is that day.

Most of you do not know Ken Smith.  Most of you are missing out.  Ken, who was my direct supervisor for nearly three years at my current job, is a man of prayer unlike any I have ever known.

Last night Ken collapsed and was rushed to a local hospital.  The doctors found that he has severe internal bleeding, but could not determine the source.  His condition worsened overnight and he is currently in the process of being airlifted to another hospital in an attempt to save his life.  I have very little other information, I just know that his situation is very grim.

I am forever grateful for the thousands that have been praying for me, Cori, and our son Aiden these last few months.  I now ask that you turn your thoughts and prayers to Ken Smith and his family.  I will post again when I know more.