Good morning…
Up in the middle of the night, I explore various accounts of the skiing accident that took the life of 27-year-old Rad Spencer who grew up in our Atlanta community. Along with our oldest son and his Lovett friends, Rad and his buddies from Westminster went through confirmation, Sunday school, and youth group together. Celebrating his life in a service today, Rad’s family and friends will forever miss him deeply.
His obituary is down to earth and full of zesty life. The first article I read offers basic details of the tragic accident. An article from Jackson Hole, Wyoming captures well the life-giving lifestyle Rad had settled into out west. I enjoy reading the loving thoughts shared by his best friends and the lacrosse kids he had fun coaching.
“Radcliff ‘Rad’ Spencer’s thing was breakfast dates,” begins the second article. “A morning person, he loved the opportunity to catch up. Plus, he loved bottomless coffee at the Virginian. So, early on Monday morning, the day after news broke that the 27-year-old had died in a fall in Apocalypse Couloir in Grand Teton National Park, his lifelong friend Spain Short and a few other high school buddies decided to go to the Virginian. It was pretty packed. The Jackson Hole Lacrosse team had already taken up a number of tables, assembling in only a few hours to remember a coach who players thought of as a leader and friend. Later that night, and again with only a few hours’ notice, some 100 people gathered at The Bird to honor Spencer’s memory. ‘Every single person there had a personal relationship with him. He just had the gift of making people feel good and laughing,’ Short said. ‘Rad loved to hear about everybody.'”
I now look back at a group text I received earlier this week. “Hey everyone – none of us can fathom the loss of Rad. There are simply no words that console us for a light gone too soon. I share with you the comfort I take in having had many conversations with Rad about faith. Rad had been on a deep walk with the Lord being involved in his church community out there and also invested in a Bible Study. The comfort that in the moment he hit his head he rested in the arms of his Savior Jesus Christ will carry me through. It is our earthly job to keep his light shining. He loved the Teton Mountains and he felt closest to God there.”
Now may the same God who warmly welcomed Rad to his eternal home comfort all who mourn the loss of his physical presence on earth. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed (Psalm 34:18, NLT).
…Sue…
