I ‘rose’ early this morning, as I usually do. Had a good nights rest, but was thinking about Ryan Newman (NASCAR driver), who was in a bad wreck at the finish line in Daytona late yesterday and about Ross Lennon, who passed away over the weekend…
Frankly, I was not excited about checking on Newman early this A.M. I was so concerned about his ‘well being’. ….When I decided to retire for the evening, the NASCAR community was waiting on a report. How badly was he injured, was he dead? I am not a huge Newman fan … do not dislike or ‘pull against’ his success … just never been a fan of his, but an admirer. He drives fast, he apparently is highly respected by his competitor, friends … but I ‘pulled’ for others. I opened up my computer very slowly … attempting to peep to determine if he was dead or alive. I must confess, I was delighted to see the report … seriously injured, but not life threatening.
For those who are not NASCAR fans … the finish line was a quarter to a half mile away and racers were ‘beating and banging’, doing what racers do late in a NASCAR race. … Not giving an inch. … It’s just a part of the sport. His vehicle went ‘airborne’ and was demolished. Safety folks were there quickly, but the cameras were not on him when he was removed. … The usual activities went on … with an eye on Newman’s vehicle.
Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin was determined the winner and … after-race activities were ongoing … Coach Joe Gibbs, owner of the winning vehicle, had already lead his team in prayer … but it was soon obvious it was not just another wreck. … Excitement, confusion, emotions from one end of the spectrum to the other…
I feel better, hopefully Newman will soon recover. … I have no idea what is ‘broken or bruised’, but would bet he will be back in a race car soon … at least I hope so. Seldom do they just walk away. NASCAR drivers obviously enjoy what they do and understand the ‘down side’ of the sport…
About Ross Lennon … one of those folks who comes into your life and makes a positive impact that last a lifetime and then both go their separate ways. … Marry, raise a family … live a good productive life. … More later…
The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
God himself does not propose to judge a man till he is dead. So why should we?
When everything that can go wrong has gone wrong, it becomes apparent that it wouldn’t have worked anyway.
robert g hester
rgh4612@gmail.com
910-876-2322
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