.
It has been a challenging few weeks for the racing community. Not only have
there been many challenges coming in every direction, we also have the past
on our minds, remembering friends. Greetings in the name of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
This past week is a challenging one for me personally. August in 2004 and
2007 still linger in my mind. I know the race has been run but I long for a
different outcome. I think about the impression left on me by two
influential but different modified drivers. One I didn’t have time to get
close to, the other was a closer relationship, but not close enough.
As I sat in the Track Safety Meeting last Wednesday night my mind flashed
back to races past and the difficulty we faced. I was comforted to hear of
the contingency plans in place to minimize any delay in getting the medical
help to the scene in the event of unforeseen occurrences.
Allow me to reminisce;
What started with anticipation of another great race ended with a vacancy
in our hearts. The reality of our sport is all too clear sometimes and all
too painful. We are forced to deal with a tragic loss.
John III was a friend. He was someone who had a passion to race. You
didn’t have to spend much time with him to know what made him tick. He
wanted to race, not just race but win. John was a racer, a racer’s racer.
I remember talking with him a few weeks before that race. We were talked
about racing; what he drove, who he drove for and what he looked forward to
driving. We talked about racing. As I recall that’s pretty much all we
talked about. Yes, there were the polite; how are you doing, how’s things at
home, how’s Grandpa, but mostly racing. His smile shone through, and his
motto, he would drive anything that had a shot at winning. He shared with me
how much fun he had driving a Super and how he was looking forward to
driving one again at Oswego.
He always had a special place for Wall Stadium, filled with race fans
like the glory days he remembered. Wall represented a tremendous amount of
history for the Blewett family, both good and bad. As many times as he said
he hated the place it was never too far from his heart. It was fitting to
remember him there during the Saturday night racing program. As we walked
off the track I looked up and the stands were full.
So many thoughts run through our heads, we have difficulty putting things
together. We want to wake up and have it be a bad dream. When there is such
a loss in our lives the hole that is left leaves us feeling incomplete.
Something is missing. It is.
John was a friend, mentor, competitor and racer. The void we have is
because we had a relationship with him. He meant something to us. We knew
him. We talked with him, we hung out with him, we watched him grow, we
watched him become the man he was, we watched him race and we raced with
him. We knew his passions and his dreams. We witnessed his life. The void
exists because he was a part of our life.
If we just knew of him his loss wouldn’t hurt. We could just move on and
remove it from our memory. It hurts because we did know him. The closer we
were to him the more it hurts. We want that piece of our lives back!
Philippians 1:3, I thank
my God every time I remember you.
The way we rebuild is by filling that void,
filling it with the memories of how John touched our lives. Relive the
precious moments. Retell the racing stories. Remember his generosity.
Remember how he showed you he cared. Let his spirit live on in our actions.
Let the way he lived change the way we live.
II Corinthians 5:7, We
live by faith, not by sight.
We don’t always understand what the future
holds and how the events of this past will affect our lives. One thing is
true it will never be the same again. We need to continue on and show people
what friendship means to us. We need to fill the void in our lives by
helping others carry on. On a plaque in Jimmy’s trophy room it said “The
best thing about the future is it comes one day at a time.” That’s how we
will get through this, one day at a time.
Life is short and we are only here for such a small time. I encourage you
to take that time to reach out and touch someone’s life. Scripture tells us
the way to do that is by acting like God. Paul writes in Galatians the
character we should reflect.
Galatians 5:22-23, But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things
there is no law.
We ask God to comfort us and help us through
difficult times. We lean on His mercy and grace. We place the future in His
hands and take life one moment at a time. We ask Him not to let us get
complacent and put things off until it is too late. Show someone how much
you love them, care for someone regardless of whether they deserve it and
live as if this is your last day on earth. Blessings.
Until next time, be a witness for our Lord with the ministry decals
and apparel. See them at the Show Your Faith Apparel Store at
http://www.rwjm.com/store. Send us your prayer and counseling needs no matter
what part of our racing family you are in, or give us a call. Remember that
God loves you, we love you and
Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing. GOD BLESS.
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Tolland, CT 06084.
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Numbers 6:24-26 "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord
make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face
toward you and give you peace."
May God always Bless you, everyday in everyway. Rev. Don
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