Search the ArchivesNavigation Contact InformationThe Citizen Newspapers For Advertising Information Email us your news! For technical difficulties |
He Has a Plan It amazes me how life can change in a solitary moment. As a firefighter, I see this, every day at work. One moment we’re training; the next we’re fighting a house fire, performing CPR, or disentangling someone who’s trapped in an automobile. Not one of those people thought their lives would change in such a profound way when their day started, but it did nonetheless. Firefighters help life come into this world, hold it in our hands and see the happiness shine on new parents’ faces. On the very next call, despite our best efforts, we might see life slowly ebb away and witness the sorrow etched on the faces of family members. Life does indeed change in a single moment. Mine did. But that was many years ago. My roommate in college was also my best friend in high school. Saying I wasn’t too focused while attending college wouldn’t be totally correct. I was focused. Just not on college. My roommate was different though. Knowing exactly what he wanted to do with his life, he joined the Air Force ROTC program. He had a plan. That is, until the winter of his sophomore year. On Christmas Eve 1978, his life changed in a moment, and so did mine. The police report stated the driver who hit him head-on was intoxicated. Traveling at over sixty miles an hour, his large sedan had crossed the center line. To be honest, I don’t remember much from that night. Somehow I got to the crash scene and saw the wreckage. If anyone could have survived such total destruction, it would have been a miracle. My roommate’s compact car was almost unrecognizable. So was my roommate. Firefighters worked feverously to cut him from the wreckage while the life quickly drained from his body. It took thirty minutes to free him - enough time for the medical helicopter to land in a nearby field. To my surprise, the two paramedics jumping from the helicopter were also firefighters. After transferring my roommate from the stretcher, they flew him to the local hospital. I remember someone told me they weren’t sure he’d make it. The cold wind moaned like a stricken soul, and I fell to my knees on that country road, praying they were wrong. It was Christmas Eve in Auburn, Alabama, and it had started to snow. I was too distraught to drive so a friend took me to the hospital where the nurse said my roommate was already in surgery. On my way to the waiting room, the police brought in the drunk driver for his blood test. His alcoholic-laden breath wafted over to me as he stumbled by, singing, his tongue still fat with beer. There was not a scratch on him. (Despite this being his fifth DUI and his driving on a suspended license, he would spend only six months in jail before being released and hitting someone else.) Three hours later, the doctors said they had done all they could. My roommate only had a 25 percent chance of surviving. It would take a miracle. He stayed in the hospital for the next two months and underwent another operation. It was to be the second of five. I visited him often during that time, but I finally had direction in my life. I remember my father often saying, “Something good always comes out of something bad. You just have to keep the faith, son. God has a plan for you.” He was right. I left Auburn University behind and joined the fire department. I wanted to be one of those people who make a difference in people’s lives. Twenty-five years later, I’m still doing the job God showed me He wanted me to do on that snowy Christmas Eve. It has been a long time since that horrific crash, but to me it seems just like yesterday. The first miracle was that my roommate survived; the second one was that he was able to go back and finish school. He graduated two years later under the Air Force ROTC program. After 20 years of being a pilot and reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he’s now retired. My roommate from college lives on a small farm with his wife and two children. I still see him about once a year during our family reunion because my roommate – my best friend from high school – is my twin brother. login to post comments | Rick Ryckeley's blog
|
Copyright 2010 - Fayette Publishing, Inc. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use Policy
Server 4
