He is a Christian, and I'm thankful
I boast being a Christian. I praise my God. I pray to my God.
I sin and admit it. I pray I'll do better.
My friend has been a Christian since the day he was born. He's more fortunate than most in that regard.
You see, Christian is his name, given to him by his parents.
Middle name? D (Note the no period)
It's a family thing, I promise. But when combined with his last name, people wonder. You see, my friend is Christian D Orr, a reassigned sports writer who just happens to share a similar name with designer Christian Dior.
Chris and I became friends a decade and a half ago, and the relationship has simply grown. I pray it continues to grow.
Chris was one of two men injured Nov. 18 in Lawrence, Kan., when the Kansas State University "Cat Tracker" bus -- on its way to the intrastate rivalry football game between the Wildcats and the University of Kansas -- went under an overpass about three hours prior to kickoff. Both men hit the overpass.
Chris and John Green were standing on top of the party bus and struck the overpass. Green died at the scene. Chris was lifeflighted from the scene to the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., with a serious head injury.
Suffice it to say, it's critical. It's scary. It's deadly.
Chris is fighting for his life, and I'm scared. I can't help it, folks. He's my friend. I don't want to bury my friend. I don't want my friend to spend the rest of his life bedridden and cared for by a nurse. But those are possibilities.
Anything is possible with a brain injury.
I spent three days in the hospital with Chris and his family. I cried. I told stories. I prayed. I prayed a lot. I even prayed when I didn't know it. There were times when I caught myself in thought, and I was in prayer.
Maybe it's fear. Maybe it's faith in God. Whatever it is, I don't rightly care. I just hope it works.
This is the first step in months of rehabilitation. If Chris survives, he is in for a very long road. I plan to be there for it.
Chris was on his way to the game with the Cat Tracker crew. I planned to meet him there, with our friend, Tim, and others. At 11:30 a.m., I received a text message from Chris, telling me he was on the bus having the time of his life. According to the police report, the accident happened at 11:35.
In the past few days, I've wondered what happened in that five minutes. I've wondered how much fun he was having.
Tim called numerous times upon our arrival to Lawrence on Saturday. He never got through. We now know why. I called a friend I knew was on the bus about an hour after the accident, and that's when I heard the news. Tim and I handed the tickets over to the other two cohorts who were with us, walking toward the stadium in hopes of finding the Cat Tracker bus and partying with our friend when I made that fateful call.
It stopped me in my tracks in the middle of the street.
Within 45 minutes, Tim and I had arrived at the hospital. We were there until Monday evening, when we went back to our respective jobs. But we'll be back. We'll be back soon.
No matter the work to do and the other things that are going on this holiday week, my heart and my mind are in Kansas City with Chris, as they should be. My wife understands, just as she did when she arrived at the hospital Sunday afternoon.
As Thanksgiving approaches, I realize I have much for which to be thankful, most notably Christian's life. I'm thankful for the beautiful bride, who shared the love she has for me with my friends.
I ask for a lot, I know, but I want my friend to beat the odds. I want him to improve and love his wife and hug his kids. I want him to call me names and make fun of my fat butt. I want him to cheer at Chiefs games and hug my neck when the team wins its next Super Bowl.
But I have faith, in Christ and Christian.
I sin and admit it. I pray I'll do better.
My friend has been a Christian since the day he was born. He's more fortunate than most in that regard.
You see, Christian is his name, given to him by his parents.
Middle name? D (Note the no period)
It's a family thing, I promise. But when combined with his last name, people wonder. You see, my friend is Christian D Orr, a reassigned sports writer who just happens to share a similar name with designer Christian Dior.
Chris and I became friends a decade and a half ago, and the relationship has simply grown. I pray it continues to grow.
Chris was one of two men injured Nov. 18 in Lawrence, Kan., when the Kansas State University "Cat Tracker" bus -- on its way to the intrastate rivalry football game between the Wildcats and the University of Kansas -- went under an overpass about three hours prior to kickoff. Both men hit the overpass.
Chris and John Green were standing on top of the party bus and struck the overpass. Green died at the scene. Chris was lifeflighted from the scene to the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., with a serious head injury.
Suffice it to say, it's critical. It's scary. It's deadly.
Chris is fighting for his life, and I'm scared. I can't help it, folks. He's my friend. I don't want to bury my friend. I don't want my friend to spend the rest of his life bedridden and cared for by a nurse. But those are possibilities.
Anything is possible with a brain injury.
I spent three days in the hospital with Chris and his family. I cried. I told stories. I prayed. I prayed a lot. I even prayed when I didn't know it. There were times when I caught myself in thought, and I was in prayer.
Maybe it's fear. Maybe it's faith in God. Whatever it is, I don't rightly care. I just hope it works.
This is the first step in months of rehabilitation. If Chris survives, he is in for a very long road. I plan to be there for it.
Chris was on his way to the game with the Cat Tracker crew. I planned to meet him there, with our friend, Tim, and others. At 11:30 a.m., I received a text message from Chris, telling me he was on the bus having the time of his life. According to the police report, the accident happened at 11:35.
In the past few days, I've wondered what happened in that five minutes. I've wondered how much fun he was having.
Tim called numerous times upon our arrival to Lawrence on Saturday. He never got through. We now know why. I called a friend I knew was on the bus about an hour after the accident, and that's when I heard the news. Tim and I handed the tickets over to the other two cohorts who were with us, walking toward the stadium in hopes of finding the Cat Tracker bus and partying with our friend when I made that fateful call.
It stopped me in my tracks in the middle of the street.
Within 45 minutes, Tim and I had arrived at the hospital. We were there until Monday evening, when we went back to our respective jobs. But we'll be back. We'll be back soon.
No matter the work to do and the other things that are going on this holiday week, my heart and my mind are in Kansas City with Chris, as they should be. My wife understands, just as she did when she arrived at the hospital Sunday afternoon.
As Thanksgiving approaches, I realize I have much for which to be thankful, most notably Christian's life. I'm thankful for the beautiful bride, who shared the love she has for me with my friends.
I ask for a lot, I know, but I want my friend to beat the odds. I want him to improve and love his wife and hug his kids. I want him to call me names and make fun of my fat butt. I want him to cheer at Chiefs games and hug my neck when the team wins its next Super Bowl.
But I have faith, in Christ and Christian.
posted by Teditor at 10:28 PM
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