I have to say that going to a funeral for a child (of any age) is the most heart-wrenching thing in the world. In a standing-room-only crowd at the church today, the loss was so great you could almost feel the weight of grief.
It was a lot.
Nineteen-year-old Danny will be remembered for his friendly, generous spirit, his smile and his accomplishments both in the classroom and on the race tracks – BMX and cars. There was no doubt from the people who spoke at the funeral today that he was well liked and well loved. And he reciprocated that to many.
When the service was over and they were wheeling out the casket, Danny's parents followed close behind, just devastated. I could just see the anguish on their faces and could not stop my own waterfall of tears. I just cannot imagine their pain.
Then, as we filed out of the church, many of Danny's friends created an arch of sorts, holding checkered flags for us to walk under. With racing in our own family, this hit hard, too. And the waterfall started again.
It just seemed the right thing to do this evening was to go down to Wisconsin Dells and see our nephew Colin race. Of course we enjoy watching him in action any time, but this time, it was therapeutic to see a youngster alive and racing and loving it.
He didn't have the best race, finishing 8th, but that didn't matter.
What mattered was that after the checkered flag, we could go in the Pits and hug this special "boy."
Not everyone is that fortunate tonight.
God, be with them all!
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