I received this email from a good friend, Nathan Child. Very interesting and thoughtful.
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Most if not all of you have heard about the plane that crashed in NYC yesterday, ended up killing a NY Yankees pitcher and a flight instructor.
Once they announced that Cory Lidle had been killed, I was naturally curious to find out who the other guy was. So I scoured the internet as best as I could for info about who this dude was.
What I found was this - before his name (which is Tyler Stanger) was announced - a phone call of a friend of Lidle's, a poker buddy was who was waiting in Nashville for Lidle to show up with a 'friend' who was also his flight instructor. This dude in Nashville was expecting Lidle and Stanger to show up that afternoon, where Lidle and his poker buddy were gonna play poker somewhere.
The whole reason I tell you this is that according to this guy, Lidle said before takeoff that Stanger was a devout Mormon who didn't want to gamble or drink, that he was a straight-laced kid that was an awesome friend and flight instructor. I have absolutely no way to confirm that, but it was apparently straight from Lidle himself that this kid was LDS. Like Lidle, he had a wife and young child (Lidle was 34 and Stanger was 26).
I felt a moment of joy that this dude, although young, was true to the gospel to the end of his life. That in the moment when the world was mourning the celebrity, that this Stanger dude gave his last quiet testimony of faithfulness in keeping the word of wisdom and not gambling, and it was noticed by the guy who was waiting for them to show up in Nashville.
We never know for sure when we will go, but what will someone say about us if we go tragically some day? I wrote this all to tell you how grateful I am, that even though I don't know this dude, that he was an example to me that I hope to copy one day. (hoping that I don't die tragically, but rather as some old geezer - haha)
Nathan
Friday, October 13, 2006
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4 comments:
I found a comment made on a blog regarding Tyler and how he was a great man: http://www.waswatching.com/archives/2006/10/cory_lidle_in_p.html
That is really cool. Good point made at the end.
That is really neat. I had not even heard of this plane crashing. but I hardly get to watch the news b/c it is not G rated for a 3 year old!
Mandie---it was fun to see you at the patch too:) We have never stayed that long befoe either & we had never bought any food in years past. B/c with those lil' babes they always need a nap:) That is why this year was so fun for me b/c P really enjoyed the Juming houses & that kettle corn was the BEST I have ever had:) we will probably go back for their tree lot, just for fun cause we have never been!
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