The State of Washington built a beautiful memorial for Dave. It sits exactly mids-span on the bridge that he was working on when he was killed. The spot is just incredible. One side of the bridge has panoramic views of the Olympic Mountain Range. The other side looks out over the water where ships and ferries float serenely by. There is a walking path filled with joggers, families taking a stroll and kids whizzing by on bikes. Generally it is one of my favorite places on earth. Usually I gain so much peace and perspective just from sitting for an hour in this sacred spot.
I was fortunate enough to get to spend some time on that bridge today. But this year was different. In fact, I almost turned around when I was halfway there because I just wasn't feeling like being there this year.
On the way there, I ran into Safeway to grab roses and Coke to leave at the plaque and the checker kind of barked at me, "You okay? You look kinda sad!" I said "Oh! I'm okay. How are you?" Without missing a beat she said, "Oh I'm just livin' the dream". Anyone who spent even one day with Dave knows that was one of his very favorite sayings. Poor checker probably thought I was nuts when I burst out laughing and crying at the same time. Got back in my car and Hank Williams Jr (Dave's all-time favorite artist) was playing on the radio. Right, when I got to the top of the bridge the sun broke through the clouds for like two minutes and shone right on me. After being up there a while, I got back in my car and the very first song was "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd (Dave's favorite song and the one played at his service).
Anyone who knows me knows I am not a big believer in signs, but I know that today God used a crabby checker at Safeway, songs on the radio and a little sun break on a gloomy Pacific Northwest day to remind me that He is right with me in those moments when my heart still aches and that He uses little things to show how big His love is for me.
