Please pray for another friend...

most of you have heard by now (if you live in the jackson area) about the wreck friday afternoon involving 4 murrah high school students.

i heard about the wreck while watching wlbt. maggie wade said that there had been a wreck involving 4 members of the murrah high school basketball team. the skycopter helicopter flew all around the wreck site. they had no details.

my mind raced. i know 2 young men who play basketball for murrah - chris ulmer and pierre simpson. i met both of these young men when they were in elementary school.

our church was located near both of their neighborhoods. they were on the basketball team that tommy and alan stringer coached. being newlyweds - i.e. having no children - i went to most of their games. and practices. and helped with their lock-in one night. this was a special group.

not much later, i started working at my current job - also not far from our church. one day, our hazzardous waste rep comes in. we just looked at each other funny - i knew that i had seen him. then we put it together. he was chris' dad.

so for the past 6 years, about twice a month i've been able to talk to mr. leroy about his son - his only child (if i'm not horribly mistaken). he would even update me on pierre from time to time.

in the past 2 years, chris had to have surgery on one of his legs and then last year when the tornado came through north jackson, a tree fell on their house - in his room. his dad said that he lost most of his stuff.

i also saw chris as a patient at my office. i told him how much tommy and i thought of him. he said that colleges were talking to him some. basketball was his life. i told him to keep his manners the way they are (NEVER would you see him without a smile, nor without hearing yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir) and that would take him far.

so fast forward back to this past friday. tommy had gotten home, picked up mary peyton, and ran back to madison to get mcalister's before they were going to watch a friend play basketball at mra. i was watching the 6:00 news.

they announce the names of the 4 young men. i watched, but didn't watch.

thank goodness for tivo - because i was not believing what i was hearing. tears started welling up in my eyes. my heart raced. i grabbed my phone and instantly called tommy. by this time, i'm really crying.

and he's asking what i've done. he thought i had cut my finger or something. i wish it was just that.

then i said it. "tommy, you know the wreck behind murrah this afternoon?" t: "yes, i heard about it on the radio a few minutes ago." me: "the kid that was killed was chris. OUR chris". t: "chris ulmer????" me: "yes......" and then he was quiet.

so i've spent some of the weekend crying. some of it just thanking God for letting us know such a good kid - one with so much promise. and, honestly, some of it asking God "why?" - even though i know that i shouldn't.

please remember his family (dad, leroy, and mom, roxie) in your prayers - as well as the other 3 young men and their families. i lost a close friend in a car wreck when i was a junior in high school, too, and this brings back so many memories.....

we will miss you, chris