Sad Day

I found out this morning that one of my coworker's sons just passed away this morning from an apparent overdose. These last couple of years have been pretty tough on her. Her oldest son had nearly overdosed and had spent a long time in the hospital due to complications from that near overdose. A few months later, feeling depressed that he had been a "burden" on his family, he tried to commit suicide by overdosing. Again, he spent a while in the hospital. Once out of the hospital and obviously an addict, he struggled for the next while and decided to start over by living with his uncle in CA. He was there less than a week when he landed himself in jail on charges related to presciption drugs. He spent a few months in jail. Within a couple of weeks of being released, he found himself right back in jail on similar charges. Jail has actually been a good thing for him. He has been working out and his left arm has finally started to look normal (his left leg and arm have suffered a significant amount of muscle loss due to an injury he got during the first overdose). He actually has finally gotten his GED. Things were looking up.

Her second son, Carston was her "good kid". He got good grades in high school. He was thinking about going to college. While in high school, he joined the LDS church and often went to church and youth activities with his girlfriend. After he and his high school girlfriend broke up, he stopped doing the "LDS" thing and started to drink and party a little more, but he still had a pretty good head on his shoulders, or so we thought. But this morning, when his mom went to wak him up for work, he didn't wake up. They called an ambulance, but he was pronounced dead on the scene. They're pretty sure it was an overdose.

For someone as nice as Sue is, it seems like she can't get a break. Her sons are her whole world. she does everything for them. I can't imagine the pain that she's going through. What's worse for her is that she doesn't really have a strong religious belief to help her through this. I mean, losing a child would be devastating whether or not you believed in God, but without something to believe in, there's no hope. They simply cease to exist, or so one might think.

I am grateful that I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which means I believe that Carston will someday be resurrected, too. I pray that Sue cand find comfort in this time of grief. And I pray that her other sons can realize their potential and overcome any addictions they have.