Caught Unprepared

Dearest Rachel –

So last night was the annual meeting of the volunteer leaders in preparation for this year’s Awana Sparks club. Lots of heartening news; including the fact that we have enough volunteers for each team to have four or five leaders, while at the same time, we have enough kids already registered such that those four or five will be stretched a bit thin. You would be pleased to know that we’re seeing numbers about half again larger than they were back when you were still here. Some of that is spillover from churches that shuttered their programs after being devastated by Covid, but we also get our fair share of kids (and families) who are completely new to the program.

I feel like I should be apologetic about focusing on numbers when I tell you about these sorts of things, honey. After all, it’s not the numbers that are important in the long run, but the actual souls – all of which you would be quick to remind me about, and for good reason. If I really need one, however, I have at least two points upon which to defend myself. First of all is the fact that this has basically become part of my nature; like it or not, I’m a numbers guy by profession (I hesitate to say ‘by nature’; I don’t know if one’s career path is set from birth anywhere but in a command economy), and after all this time, I couldn’t take that aspect of my personality out even if I wanted to. The other ‘defense’ is that, while it’s true that our aim is to bring as many souls as possible to saving Truth, the key lies in the phrase ‘as many.’ Many conversions start with many people in the door. The trick is not to treat the kids like numbers, or we run the risk of losing them, and being back to square one with them. That’s where I can step aside, and let the others take over, and you would be so gratified to see how many there are stepping up to fill the positions.

And we need every one of them. Having lots of kids planning to attend starting next week (combined with the inevitable fact that we know others will show up without registering from day one) doesn’t sound like a problem, but if we’re not prepared for it, there’s no question that it certainly can be one. Fortunately, given our online sign-up system, and the fact that it’s actually being used, we’re at least somewhat aware of what we’re about to face, so we won’t be caught unprepared for the onslaught beginning next Monday.

***

At the same time, I found myself recalling how it was only five years ago that Kevin came with us to one of these meetings (being in town over the Labor Day holiday and beyond, as per usual), only to experience something of an… incident… while he was sitting there. He insisted on not disturbing the meeting, but afterwards, we had to take him to the hospital. None of us were prepared for the fact that he had suffered a mild heart attack (although in retrospect, it shouldn’t have been all that shocking, given his size. Indeed, the real surprise should have been that he made it that far in his life without something like that happening); he wound up spending the rest of his ostensible vacation (and then some) at the hospital, where we would come over to visit as often as we could (which, while not quite as convenient as when we were in the condominium, and it was right across the street, still isn’t all that far away from the house), as was incumbent upon us as his erstwhile hosts.

As I recall, his stepdad flew up from Nashville to bring him home, as he was in no condition to drive – and certainly not an extended trip like one from Chicago to Franklin – once he was released. I don’t recall how long he was prevented from driving thereafter, either, but I’m pretty sure there was a certain span of time where he was unable to leave his house without someone else driving for him. I can’t ask him about that now, of course, any more than I can ask you about the circumstances behind one photograph or another. Life’s like that, you know.

***

I was talking with Lars about Kevin some time back, and how I was caught by surprise by what happened to him; I mentioned how I really expected that his health issues would be what took him (albeit I saw no reason to expect them to take him right away). He stopped me in my tracks, however, when I mentioned a certain prescription Kevin had been taking ever since suffering the attack five years ago.

“That’s a blood thinner, you know,” he explained, to which I responded that I was well aware of that; not only did Kevin explain that to us when we first visited him in the hospital after he’d spent that first night under observation, but I’d been aware of it when my first boss, JD, had needed it prescribed for his own heart condition. “No, you don’t understand,” Lars went on. He proceeded to point out that, while neither of us were aware of the specifics of the accident itself – specifically, how serious his injuries might have been from the actual impact – the fact that Kevin was on a blood thinning agent might very well have made him extremely vulnerable to anything that would have broken blood vessels. Essentially, the very thing that kept his arteries from clogging (and thus killing him) might have caused him to bleed out more rapidly after the crash (thus killing him).

Is this meant to be a condemnation of the medication? Hardly. He had to deal with what was the most serious – and imminent – situation first and foremost. The fact that it would work against him in the incident ultimately ended his life (when, under other circumstances, he might well have survived) couldn’t be foreseen; who expects to be struck on the interstate at one in the morning? Some things you just can’t be prepared for.

Anyway, I’ve got more to tell you about, but it’s a completely different topic; I’ll write you about it later. Until then, keep an eye on me, and wish me luck. I’m going to need it.