I've had a hard time deciding what to say about this. I've struggled about whether or not I should even say anything. I don't show emotion. I don't know how to comfort people who are hurting because I am never in situations in which I need to be comforted. Until a week and a half ago...
I just spent 17 days volunteering at Teen Missions International's yearly boot camp. (I am in the airport right now waiting for my flight home) I was away from internet, my phone, any contact with the outside world. I felt the need to have my phone and broke the rules and brought it to my room one night. It was at that point that I found out that one of my best friends had been killed in a car accident the day before. http://www.monroenews.com/news/2013/jun/15/seth-m-winter/ I called Mom and got the full story. For the first time in years I cried myself to sleep. Never have I been happier to have my own room.
I had to tell my youngest sister and try my best to comfort her and then I had to walk away. I had to leave her crying, confused, and away from everything she knew. I knew one of her leaders from my summers with TMI and I knew that Shannon would deal with it well, but as I walked away, I broke down. I had to get far enough away that she wouldn't see me. I hid. I cried. I skipped work for the rest of the afternoon.
Seth and I were best friends when we were really young. He was 19 days younger than me and I never let him live that down. We got in trouble together when we swam in the horse trough and went into the pig barn without permission. We fought like brother and sister. He was my first crush. I was convinced that I was going to marry him until I was 13 years old!
One of my favorite memories of Seth was when my parents were at the Moscow TC and my brothers and I stayed with his family. It was the dead of winter in SE Michigan. He had the childhood I always wanted - he grew up on a farm surrounded by corn and soybean fields. There is a creek that runs along the east side of their property and it always had cattails growing in it. We would take these cattails and hit things and each other with them because they would explode in the most fantastic puff of white fluffiness. We spent hours in the frozen creek doing this. We broke through the ice and got out clothes soaking wet, but we didn't care because we were having too much fun. When we finally went inside, Mrs. Winter was furious because the cattail fluff was all over our clothes and we had dragged it through the whole house. We both got spanked, but that is still one of my absolute favorite memories from childhood.
14 days ago, one of my best friends was taken from me. 16 days ago, he made a stupid decision. 17 days ago, he installed speakers in his car and didn't have time to tie them down properly. 16 days ago, he was speeding and texting while driving. 14 days ago, one of my best friends died and I was alone to deal with it. I'm 23. I'm not supposed to have friends dying. He was 23. He had an amazing life ahead of him - a wonderful girlfriend, and a promising career as a pilot. Seth loved life and every situation like no one else I have ever met.
Seth, you will be missed so much by so many people. My prayers go out for your family and everyone who has been affected by your loss.
