My Life in Pictures

Christopher Hebel : 1989-2006

I haven't made a post in over two weeks. To be honest, I wasn't in the mood to say anything. In fact, even today, I don't have a lot to say. However, life goes on and I can still tell it in pictures. Two weeks ago, on June 18th, my wife had a family reunion. That was also Father's day and I spent that day with my son, nephew, and my father out at the old farm trying to sell it. I managed to negotiate a contract and sell the farm. Meanwhile, my wife had a great day with her entire family and took numerous photographs.

The very next day tragedy struck. My wife called me at work hysterical to tell me that our nephew, Christopher Hebel, the only son of her sister Cheryl, had died that morning in a car accident. It seems he fell asleep at the wheel on his way to football practice and drifted across the lane and was hit by an 18 wheeler. He died instantly at the scene. I rushed home and then drove my wife to her sisters house. By the time we got there it was almost three hours after the accident but the wreckage was still being removed from the roadway. The rest of the week was consumed with grief, the wake, and finally the funeral. Needless to say, I didn't feel like posting to the blog. My own daughter only got her drivers license and car a month ago and I continue to feel a deep fear and panic that her life might be cut short at a moments notice without warning simply by driving from point A to point B.

On this Sunday I received an email to find out that Right Worshipful Brother Bert Thacker, only 68 years old, was struck dead in an auto-accident. It doesn't matter if it is a teenager or someone who has lived for almot 70 years, a car accident can make them vanish in the blink of an eye. Right Worshipful Brother Bert Thacker was an incredible Mason. He knew the ritual forwards, backwards, and inside out. He always attended school of instruction to pass on his knowledge to newly raised brothers. I am proud to have known him and honored that he passed some of his knowledge on to me. His Masonic service will be on Wednesday and I wouldn't be surprised of hundreds upon hundreds of Master Masons in the St. Louis area show up.

Meanwhile, in between these two losses, we also bear witness to the continuity of life and family. Shelly Solomon was baptised into the Catholic Church and Patty Solomon celebrated her 50th birthday on the same day. My nephew Donny and his wife celebrated the birth of their new child.

I really don't have any more to say. It is not necessary to post notes of sympathy. At this point I am simply learning the ebb and flow of human life. From tragedy, to trivia, to new life. We are all a part of this human family and we should continue to recognize how precious each moment is.

This weekend I took my family down to the old farm to say one last goodbye. The kids, for the first time in their life, were allowed to shoot off all of the fireworks they wanted to. I also purchased two very huge displays for the grand finale. Terry used her new camera to take the following shots.