The Worst Day of My Life…
Today, May 28th, 2010, marks the twelve year anniversary of the death of my youngest brother, Ronald John Reutebuch.
He died from a fall off a ladder while at a construction job, just mere inches from the ground. He missed a step coming down the ladder and hit his head just so on the concrete floor, rendering him brain dead. I still find it hard to grasp.
There are two things that I carry with me from this tragedy.
First, I remember my Dad telling about a guy none of the family knew but Ronny had treated with kindness. I don’t remember the specifics but I believe the man was overweight and possible wheel chair bound or something to that effect. My brother’s actions touched this person and he wanted to pay respects at his wake. That is why I never try to make fun of other people in a cruel manner. I only tease because I love…not for hate. You never know what may seem like a small, insignificant gesture to you might mean volumes to somebody else.
Secondly, I try to use this date to remind me to take the time to do something that makes me happy. Usually, that means heading to the lake to do some fishing. It makes me realize that you never know when your time is coming…and we should live our lives like there is no tomorrow. It’s easy to get caught up in jobs, home life, and all the demands on our time. It’s all necessary but set aside time to do something that will create lasting memories. That is when you are truly living.
Sounds like the world lost one of the great ones. Good lesson to learn here.
thinking of you today…..
Tom,
Great post, did not know that you lost a brother. My wife just remembered 25 yrs since her sister died of cancer, I can empathize with you. You’re so right about living each day, I’m proud to be able to share a little bit of each day with good people like you from a distance via Twitter and hope to get to meet you some day.
Tomcat, Thank you so kindly for your sage advice, and being a part of my world. When faced with a decision, I’ll now find myself asking the question: WWBD?…