Trying to put some meaning to all this....

[OMR]

My nephew died today. He was 31 years old. He had turned his life around completely. But it wasn't always that way. He had come to live at our house when his mother (my wife's sister) committed suicide. It had taken quite a while to fit into the family. But he finally had. A slow learner, he'd dropped out of high school because all he wanted to do was skate ... he finally went to live with his older brother in Oregon. They smoked a lot of dope together. Nancy & I lost track of him until he moved back to SoCal with the intent of changing his life around... which he did when he met a smart, lovely girl named Alex. She straigthened him out, sent him back to school and helped him set goals. Although I had told him he'd end up working as a fry cook at McDonald's, he started his own business cleaning carpets and expanded that into a water restoration/mold cleanup business. He had gotten married and the business was really taking off. He was working long hours, had several guys working for him and was starting to make a six figure income. All this from a guy who had not finished high school, smoked dope and wanted to do nothing but skate. He got great enjoyment out of teasing uncle Gregg about the McDonald's crack.

He had recently broken his foot walking his puppy and was taking pain killers for the pain. He was also taking anti-depressants (a result of his early days of drugs and alcohol)... which turns out to be a dangerous combination. He had worked late the night before and was taking the morning off. His wife's mother found him dead this morning on the bathroom floor. Needless to say it was and is a shock to our family. I'm not even sure why I'm writing this except to tell others that there was a kid who had really turned his life around that died today... that he was a good kid and will be missed by those that knew him.

He loved to ride mountain bikes...

[foofighter]

our thoughts are with your nephew and his family. You just cant figure out life sometimes as hard as you try. I guess you just love your family and live one day at a time.

[genusmtbkr5]

My thoughts and prayers to you and your family Gregg. Let me know if there is anything I can do.

[Jordansrealm]

Think about the good times and think about how great a man he became. We are all here for you if you need us.

[art23rockpile]

OMR, I don't know you personally, but you have my condolences. My experience is that there is no meaning behind the death of a loved one, other than life is temporary and each moment is precious.

[2wheel_lee]

Sorry to hear about you and your family's loss. But on the positive side of things, it's great to hear that your nephew overcame significant challenges to become successful in every way he could. He was a strong man to do that. I guess the best you can do is remember the great things he ultimately did with his life. I wish you and your family along with his new family the best.

[Tedroy]

_________________ so sad.

[mtnbikerfred]

Unbelievable. Words just don't work. You have our prayers.

[SAR_boats]

My condolences for you and the rest of the family.

[J_Sims]

You know Greg I have lost family and it is hard as we do look for a meaning, as it helps us rationalize what has happened, a reason, a purpose, but maybe as I saw previously mentioned in this thread the meaning and purpose is simply that every minute here is precious and we should live this life to the fullest. Take a little time out for ourselves and ensure that we do spend time with those that are important to us. I can tell you one thing, it sounds like that boy grew up into quite a man, and I am sure that his example does have a purpose, and it may have touched someone in a way that you will never know, but rest assured that he fought his battles and it was time to move on to a better place. I will ask my mom to show him around...

You are in my thoughts and prayers

[ezzyride]

Our prayers are for you and your family.

Elvia, Stef and Julia

[DBD]

Thoughts and prayers to you and yer family.

When death is expected it can be tough but when it happens like this it can be devastating.

Originally Posted by OMR

... I'm not even sure why I'm writing this ...

He loved to ride mountain bikes...

You are still in disbelief and talking/writing about it does help ease the pain some.

Since he loved riding, maybe a nice ride to the top of his favorite trail, or a few laps around his favorite loop may be in order ...

[Pain Freak]

I feel your pain. I've lost so many friends to drugs. It sounds like he finally got a grasp on life, but hopefully just had an accident. I lost my best friend of 40 years to drugs two years ago and the pain is still intense. Hold on to his memory, that's all we really leave behind.

[mntbiker12]

My condolences to your family. As far as meaning, what you just wrote is chock full of it...I think we can all take our own little bit of meaning from this tragic story. Life is fragile - live it.

[un-kola]

My condolences and sympathy to your family.- Lloyd

[BrewMaster]

My prayers are with you and your family Gregg. I am so sorry for your loss.

[Singletrack Angel]

It's such a terrible tragedy... I hope that you will feel the tremendous love and respect that we all have for you as we reach out to you to support you in your grief and that it will give you strength.

[Vickie]

Gregg,

I am so sorry to hear of your family's loss. Words, although here to comfort through your pain never seem to be enough. It is so tragic when we lose those we love. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time. If there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to let me know.
Psalms 116:15