and I'm sad. Sad for him, sad for his family.
Only 32 years old. Way to young to die. But in a way...he made this choice.
Took a bad road in life.
But I knew him way back when.
He was only a teenager when he started coming by. We had the things that
he liked. Race cars, trucks...a garage where people hung out. He was young,
not even driving a car yet. Use to show up on a riding lawnmower. Then an old
farm tractor. That's how he got around.
But he was then a child among men. I remember that his mother would bring him
lunch here at my garage. Or a raincoat...everybody teased him about that stuff.
He took it in stride, hung out around here for a long time.
Years.
I rembember Justin getting his first girlfriend, bring her by for my wife and I to
meet.
Graduation. First real job. Moving out of his parents home. Getting married.
All the milestones of life he shared with us.
Somewhere along the way, he got involved with drugs. Changed him.
He couldn't let go.
Rehab, a time or two. He was always promising to get clean. A good boy who
made the wrong choices in life.
Even as I'm typing this, I'm thinkin of the last time I saw Justin.
It was here in my yard. The back seat of a state patrol car. He was drunk, high,
and had hit a car. Hit and run....and he ran to me for help.
To hide him.
I couldn't do that. It's not who I am. I hated what I did. Hate it even today. I called
his parents. They were here. And then we called the police, and gave him up.
So yes, I'm sad now as I remember this young man, the choices he made.
Let us all remember his family as they deal with their loss.
Only 32 years old. Way to young to die. But in a way...he made this choice.
Took a bad road in life.
But I knew him way back when.
He was only a teenager when he started coming by. We had the things that
he liked. Race cars, trucks...a garage where people hung out. He was young,
not even driving a car yet. Use to show up on a riding lawnmower. Then an old
farm tractor. That's how he got around.
But he was then a child among men. I remember that his mother would bring him
lunch here at my garage. Or a raincoat...everybody teased him about that stuff.
He took it in stride, hung out around here for a long time.
Years.
I rembember Justin getting his first girlfriend, bring her by for my wife and I to
meet.
Graduation. First real job. Moving out of his parents home. Getting married.
All the milestones of life he shared with us.
Somewhere along the way, he got involved with drugs. Changed him.
He couldn't let go.
Rehab, a time or two. He was always promising to get clean. A good boy who
made the wrong choices in life.
Even as I'm typing this, I'm thinkin of the last time I saw Justin.
It was here in my yard. The back seat of a state patrol car. He was drunk, high,
and had hit a car. Hit and run....and he ran to me for help.
To hide him.
I couldn't do that. It's not who I am. I hated what I did. Hate it even today. I called
his parents. They were here. And then we called the police, and gave him up.
So yes, I'm sad now as I remember this young man, the choices he made.
Let us all remember his family as they deal with their loss.
