Early this year the world lost a wonderful young man and one of my own childhood playmates, Zac Cook. I still cry real tears when I think of him--gone. Today was one of those days. Our families are not related, but the Cooks are my family. Always have been. He was like a brother...it's not fair!
I'll never forget punching both Zac and his older brother David for putting salt on my watermelon when I was six.
Of all the memories, that's the one thats always gets me.
It's not often a death hits me this hard. But the hardest part was hugging Uncle David, Aunt Becky, and Little David at the house after the funeral. I had to leave early. It simply hurt too much.
It's not often a death hits me this hard. But the hardest part was hugging Uncle David, Aunt Becky, and Little David at the house after the funeral. I had to leave early. It simply hurt too much.
You may have heard about this on the national news. A BlackHawk helicopter doing drills fell out of the sky and on top of Zac. On Texas A&M Campus. My dad kept the traditional Aggie "Riderless Horse" in our family's stable. They shot the Aggie Cannon 3 times. The Army was there, as he was just enlisted and waiting on an assignment, and gave the family a full military funeral, guns and all. Traffic on the highway came to a stop when the cannons blew. The funeral was the best I've ever been to. My dad made us sit on the back row in case he cried. I had to take xanax to make it though it. But it was beautiful, just like Zac's life.
If you could, if you would, for me, just take a quick look at the links below, and understand why the world lost so much when we lost Zac. For me...
http://dmc-news.tamu.edu/templates/?a=7176&z=15 Aggie Reaction
http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=9668913 Lufkin Reaction
http://www.ktre.com/global/story.asp?S=9692973 The Funeral
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=45940083111 In Memoriam
http://www.ktre.com/global/story.asp?S=9692973 The Funeral
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=45940083111 In Memoriam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg3Y1QfoamM Remembrance
2 comments:
I'm so sorry for your loss.
I had something similar happen last year. Someone I'd grown up with, whose family was like family to me died suddenly in his sleep.
He was 6 months younger than me so at that point, he was 25. I ran into his best friend last week who told me he was just about to enrol and go to university to study something he'd found a passion in.
It shakes you to your core...that feeling of "it could have been me" and that horrible pain you feel knowing that you'll never see them again.
You and his family are in my thoughts x
When I heard of this, I thought of you. The only person I "know" in Lufkin.
I guess that means something.
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