As I write this post tonight I find myself extremely inspired from the words of Aaron Thomas (Ed’ son):
My father was a great man of character, that’s something I’ve taken from him. But come tomorrow, it’s time we all get going. There’s a lot of work to be done in this town. My dad was here for a reason. He wasn’t taken before the tornado. He got us close. I think now it’s a challenge to all of us.
It’s been quite a week for the people in Parkersburg. Heck it’s been quite a week for the entire nation. It seems like every single day we heard of someone else dying. And every single day the top story lead with details from a death, or remembering someone who died. It was a tough week to be in the news business.
I found myself digging deep to find reason for all of this, still haven’t found it and I probably never will fully understand it all. It’s not easy covering such tragedy; asking people to talk about someone they just lost. Hoping that they understand your genuine desire to remember him and honor him, not disrupt and destroy their privacy or mourning process.
Wednesday I attended and reported from Parkersburg and the vigil at the Sacre Acre (see pictures below). It was inspiring to see the thousands of people that turned out to pray for Thomas and remember his legacy.
That night on the drive home I found myself flipping through my ipod on my drive back to Dubuque. The song “Place In this World” by Michael W. Smith came on the random list. Most haven’t heard this song but it’s basically about how we’re all looking for a reason, roaming through life, trying to find a place in this world…a meaning and purpose.
I’m not going to lie to you, I often question the same thing. I wonder if what I do really matters; if the stories I tell make a difference and if people are inspired by the things they see and hear in the stories I tell.
This week was no different. Wondering if I could possible do any justice to remembering Ed Thomas in a town that had already been through so much.
Saturday night I attended mass here in Dubuque. The homily was all about the death we’ve heard in the news the last week. Starting with the boyscout accident on Sunday last week (where a troop leader and boy scout were killed) and ending with Michael Jackson. The priest mentioned Coach Thomas and the impact he had. He talked about how hard it was to hear of all this death. But the thing he said the most is that….if you believe in life after death…no matter who you are or what you’ve done, when we die….we all go to the same place. Which regardless of what you believe, it puts one thing in perspective. Life is precious, we’re put here for a purpose. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest. Ask anyone in Parkersburg and they’ll tell you Ed Thomas lived life to the fullest.
Then Sunday thousands of people lined up, 8 blocks at one point, outside of the church to pay final respects to Coach Thomas and his family. The wake last more than 8 hours! The family waited until everyone got through the line, they talked to everyone. Talk about tribute to the man who lived life to the fullest!!
Which takes me back to what Aaron Thomas said about his dad in this reflection at the funeral: My dad was here for a reason. He wasn’t taken before the tornado. He got us close. I think now it’s a challenge to all of us.
It’s a shame that it takes something like this to challenge all of us and remind us how precious life can be. But it’s true. Ed Thomas is dead, but he can live on in all of us. Truth is, every one of us has an Ed Thomas in our lives. Someone that pushes us to be the best we can be, that challenges us to get better each and everyday and that sets a strong example of how to live a faithful and fulfilling life.
As I sat, glued to the screen and the computer on Wednesday, I couldn’t believe what had happened. 6 days later I still can’t. I’ve been a lot of time watching the many stories we’ve done on Ed Thomas and Parkersburg. I’ve watched the national media and their coverage and I’ve seen raw interviews witht he man. Everytime I see his pre-game locker room speech from September 15th I get goosebumps. When I hear his words quoted, see video of him coaching or even hear him in past interviews, I can’t help but think I hope someday I can make as big of an impact on one persons life as Ed Thomas did for thousands.
I conclude tonight’s blog with a the final words from Aaron Thomas’ message today at the funeral:
And as he’d say, it’s time we get up and get ourselves going ’cause the true test of character is how do we respond to adversity. This is adversity. This is adversity. Now, my challenge to you: how are you going to respond, what are you going to do tomorrow?
Better yet, what are you going to do today?
God Bless,
Lauren~
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This post was written by lsquires on June 29, 2009
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