This is off-topic and has little, if anything, to do with gardening, so feel free to skip it if you want.
Today is going to be a really tough day for southern Oklahoma....and not just for Love County, but for many from Marshall County and Carter County as well.
Today is the day we will attend the funeral and burial of a man who truly was the "sun" in our universe--our State representative, Terry Hyman, who died in a tragic tractor accident at his farm a few miles west of us on Friday evening. I lack the eloquence to adequately explain how important he was here and what an integral part of our community he was....and NOT just because he was our state representative, but because he was a great citizen, a fine man, an incredibly caring and giving human being, and simply a friend to all. Our hearts are shattered for his family and their loss, and for ourselves as well.
When the paramedics were dispatched to his farm on Friday evening, and as local first responders and sherriff's deputies in that part of the county began racing towards his place, I knew in my heart that he was gone. Within minutes, even after fire departments were dispatched with extrication equipment, we all knew to expect the worst. DH was at work and I called him and kept him informed about what was going on....and he was also on the phone with the chairman of our dept.'s Fire Board, who in turn, was on the phone with our Asst. Chief, who was out of town.
So, today, at the Ardmore Convention Center, we all will gather together at what I am sure will be the largest funeral ever held in this part of Oklahoma (no single church is large enough to hold the service). Numerous Oklahoma legislators and other government officials are expected to attend.
Last night on the local news, the news anchor, who grew up here in southern Oklahoma and who lives in Marshall County, started to tear up/choke up as she described how all the volunteer fire departments in Love County and Marshall County were going to gather in Love County on Wed. and travel in one large, mournful caravan to Ardmore for the funeral--and, most importantly, that each participating department would be driving a firetruck that Terry helped us obtain.
The grief here is so palpable and it dominates every meeting, every gathering, every conversation. It seems impossible that such a good man who meant so very much to so many people here could be gone so young, at only 56. It seems impossible to imagine that we'll never see him walking into our firehouse again....he never missed a fundraiser, always gave his own private donations to the departments, willingly served as a master of cermony or auctioneer or in any other way, and worked very hard with SODA (the Southern Oklahoma Development Association) on so many projects that were important....not just fire dept. stuff, obviously, but many other projects as well. Someone will fill his representative's slot in the legislature, but I don't think anyone could ever fill his shoes.
So, all week I have been pretty worthless. Haven't felt like doing much in the garden.....just going through the motions, and have only stepped into the garden just long enough to harvest. Usually, being in the garden soothes me if I am feeling stressed, but it really hasn't worked this week. The grief hangs over southern OK like a big dark cloud. And, you know, it doesn't matter if you knew him well personally or not, you still feel the magnitude of the loss for his family and for our community, and in fact, for the whole state of Oklahoma. He was a giant among men, and today we will bid him farewell.
This morning, we'll wash and wax and polish and shine the firetruck he helped us get after the 2005-2006 fire season....the first and only "new" truck we've ever had (and are ever likely to have), since most VFDs can only afford old pieces of junk that require constant and costly maintenance. The guys will put on their nice dress uniform shirts, and I'll fill up every cooler we can squeeze onto the truck with Gatorade and water because the funeral procession is sure to be long and it will be a hot day and we'll be careful to keep everyone well-hydrated so no one passes out at the cemetary. And, when it is over, somehow this community has to find a way to carry on without him....and it won't be easy.
Dawn
ilene_in_neok
scottokla
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