To Murray

I don't know if it is just me or not, but the days seem to be rolling on at a furious pace.
Here we are, already into September by 6 days and it seems like we were celebrating New Years just a little while ago.

Received a phone call yesterday that Murray Miller had died. Murray was a unique individual. Carpenter and all around fix-it man by trade, there wasn't anything he couldn't do. He loved cowboy hats and boots (but you know...I never saw him ride a horse). Drove an old beat up pick up truck that had an 8-track tape player in it. How cool was that. The tape player didn't worked, but Murray just liked the idea that it was there for viewing to anyone who wanted to see it.
Murray had ad an old dog named Bo that rode with him every where he went. Murray always had a red bandana tied around Bo's neck. I'm not sure, but I don't believe that Bo or Murray had any gang affiliation.
Murray liked coming out to Rapha to talk with the guys, share his story and just encourage those he could. He was hard core "12 Step" believer.

I married Murray and his girlfriend, Pat, back in 2004. It was an impromtu kind of wedding but one that was part of Murray's plan to make amends and put things right in his life. He had walked a hard road, one filled with a lot of pain. Some of that pain was self-inflicted, some wasn't. I lost track of Murray about two years ago. I think he moved to South Alabama to be near his mother. She was getting to the point that she really didn't need to be living by herself, so Murray was trying to take care of her.

The person who called yesterday told us that Murray died of Cancer.
I will miss him.
Seems to be an all too familiar thing now.....phone calls and such telling us that someone has died.
I know it's a part of life.
Doesn't mean I have to like it. I accept it.
The older you get, the faster the death's seem to come.
How can anyone make it through this life without Jesus?
I'll never understand that.
Of course, in my simple mind, I have a hard time trying to figure out why everyone doesn't want to quit using.
So this morning.......this Thursday morning........September 6, 2012, I will go to Rapha to teach and council and love on those who have come looking for help. I go in the knowledge that not everyone is sincere in their recovery. But I go in the knowledge that what we teach works. Jesus is that Higher Power we all have been looking for. 
Why not give yourself to Him and to a program today?
God on you....
mb