Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Harold

It thundered today in Glenwood Springs.

It was a good long thunder that first woke me up around 6:30 this morning when it literally shook my bed. It was one of those moments where you wake up and have that feeling of being home and you can’t help but smile. I then drifted off into that place that is somewhere between being awake and asleep. It’s the kind of place where you feel like everything is at peace and you couldn't be more comfortable or content than where you are at that very moment.

Later in the morning, I got a phone call from my mom telling me that our friend Harold Spragg had passed away. I couldn’t really grasp what she was saying. I just couldn’t believe it. When I hung up the phone, I rolled over on my back and stared at the ceiling as if it had some kind of answer. The thunder outside continued to roll, quiet but with a sort of deepness that you could feel in your chest. As I am searching for answers I remembered as a child people telling me that the sound of thunder was just the sound of the angels bowling. Some said it was God laughing. Today, I believe that is the case. I went from a state of shock and unbelief to laughing out loud with tears streaming down my face. All I could imagine was Harold, immediately after walking through the Pearly Gates, walking up to every angel he saw and saying something like, “Did I tell you the story about the parrot?”

Somehow, the thunder in Glenwood Springs, CO this morning was an odd reassurance that everything will be ok. This world lost an amazing man who never failed to put a smile on someone’s face, but the angels up in heaven are rolling on the floor with laughter that echoes like thunder.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You made me smile and cry at the same time:)
Mom

Summer said...

We too were in shock about Harold. Jason can't seem to believe it. What a great thought about him - I'll tell Jason to read it. Miss you!

Anonymous said...

I would imagine that the shock you felt that morning, is much what I am feeling, learning this news a year after Harold left this world. I knew him many years ago and from all accounts I read of the person he had become, he always remained the same. He had a ready joke, a story, a smile even at 20 years old. Somehow the world seemed still "okay" thinking Harold was still out there and we had just lost touch after college years. Today, my heart is a little sadder knowing that he has gone, but I am so thankful to have known Harold Spragg. If he's looking down from somewhere above, he's smiling, I'm sure...He got me again...I'm still the last one to know. ;)