Busy Tuesday

Well, here I am finally.  It was a busy day already and it's not even half done. 

I went to Curves this morning to get rid of some of that pumpkin pie, and then came home to decorate.

It sure seemed like there were more boxes that came down that went back up, but that's a good problem to have.  Everything went up fast once I got the basics done, like removing non-Christmas items and dusting the surfaces underneath, then putting on tablecloths, etc.

The only thing left is the porch but that won't take but about 15 minutes tops.  It's just so cold out there that I'll wait until I feel like putting on the gas furnace thing that heats the room nicely.  Of course, it does make it look neat and clean, but the on/off dial is located in the back of the unit near the floor.  So you have to stretch yourself over the heater and reach way back there to control it.  The dial for how warm you want the unit to get is handy.  Strange, right?  But probably safer for kids.

I thought it was very, very sad that they found the body of Kosta Karageorge just one day after the OSU/Michigan game.  His life was gone and his body was found in a dumpster.  What a sad ending for a guy who had obviously been in sports his whole young life.  He had been a wrestler at OSU and then joined the football team as a walk-on in August.

They said he had a history of concussions.  We have not been informed as yet where these concussions occurred -- in high school or during college years.  It is yet another indication that we do not understand the human brain nearly well enough.  There is a unit that teams can purchase for right around $700 that will indicate the presence of concussion much more accurately than any doctor or team trainer could.  But it isn't just what happens right after a concussion, but what seems to follow years after the events. 

Kosta's mother said that he had a history of concussions and that sometimes he suffered from confusion.  There is a strong link between concussion and depression, I understand.  It certainly seems that this young man was in the throes of something very intense and serious.  All indications point to it being suicide, and the location of his body suggests that he got into the dumpster to shoot the gun into his head.  Like he was garbage.  Like his life didn't matter.  And he'd left his mother a voice mail, I believe it was, saying that he was sorry for the troubles he had caused.

That would have just broken my heart and my heart goes out to his mother, no matter what sort of relationship they may have had. 

Where was this large guy going at 2:00 a.m. on Thursday?  And why was he upset?  And did he have someplace to go for Thanksgiving?

So many questions, not many answers.

We need to work harder to protect the brains of our athletes, starting from the very beginnings of their participation.  Any hit to the head should be taken seriously.  And maybe some sports just aren't worth it for younger kids.

Apparently, there is another young man missing, this one from Philadelphia.  Isn't there something so pathetic about an individual who can't be found, and especially around the holidays?

We hear the stories, but these are peoples' lives!   For someone or a group of someones, life is never going to be the same. 

So I'm going to say some prayers for Karageorge and the guy from Philadelphia.

Take care, and remember that without God, there is no joy.  I pray that those who are suffering find that joy.