I'm back (for now anyway...)

So 2009 isn't shaping up to be a good blogging year so far, but hopefully we'll get better as time moves on.

Hubby & I travelled to Colorado to spend time with my family for Christmas. We had the opportunity to enjoy Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas breakfast with his family before we left on a jet plane. Besides the 4 kids constantly screaming in French behind us and kicking the back of our seat, it was a pretty smooth flight.

My mom's dad and his wife had already arrived in town by the time we got there so we had a couple days of just my parents, us and them until my nephew, Braden, and his parents (love ya too guys...but let's be honest you know we all are dying to see Braden!) arrived on Saturday night the 27th. Shortly after they got to our house from the airport, my mom received a call on her cellphone that brought some very devastating news. The husband and father of our very, very dear family friends was in a serious accident and death was imminent. We called my brother and had him and his girlfriend drive over to the hospital because they were right in the area, and then my sister, parents and I started out on the 2 hour drive north. We got to the hospital around 10:30pm or so and finally got the story.

Jim (who's only a year older than my dad) was ice fishing with their second oldest, Adam (who's my sister's age). It was really windy so they decided to pack up and call it a day. Adam had taken the first load to the truck and turned to go get more when he saw his dad lying flat on his back on the ice further from the truck. He thinks what happened was that some of their gear got blown away by the wind and Jim went after it only to slip and fall flat on his back, fracturing the back of his skull on the ice. This and the combination of being on blood thinner for his heart caused a bleeding on the brain and uncontrollably hemmoraghing of the brain stem. Due to the conditions and remote location, it took over three hours to get him to the emergency room. He never woke up again, but was put on life support in hopes that he would. From the time he was brought in and through several tests later, there was never any brain activity so the doctor finally pronounced him dead around noon on Sunday. They hoped to donate his organs, but when they did the autopsy they discovered that his spleen was three times the normal size, so they were only able to donate his corneas.

It's such a freak accident and so hard to believe Jim's gone. My heart breaks for his wife Linda (one of my mom's best friends), and their children Justin (27) and his new wife Vale (we just went to their wedding the end of October), Adam (25), Larissa (21), and Evan (18 and a senior in high school). The Hirt's aren't just friends...they're family. We grew up together from the time Justin & I were 1 and 2 years old, having sleepovers at each others houses. I can't even begin to fathom the loss and grief they're experiencing right now.

Back (L to R): Evan, Jim, Justin, Adam
Front (L to R): Justin's wife Vale, Linda, Larissa

Jim was an amazing man. A man after God's own heart who wasn't afraid to demonstrate that love to those around him. In the short time he was on earth, he made more of an impact than many people who live much longer than him ever will. We don't understand why God called him home at this time, but we can rest knowing that it's all part of God's perfect plan and that Jim is with his Heavenly Father.

I leave tomorrow to fly back to Colorado for the memorial service on Saturday and will be back sometime next week. If you remember, please keep the Hirt family in your prayers.

If you want to read more about Jim from his wife and children's perspectives, check out the blog they started in his honor here.