Ronny

A friend of mine recently passed away. His name was Ronny, I worked with him last summer laying blacktop. He worked the paver and since I was usually either shoveling asphalt or spreading tact I was always around the paver. I was with him for nearly 10 hours a day during the week. We talked a lot and I probably talked to him more than anyone else that I worked with. I am sad that he is gone, it is weird to think about. He worked for my grandpa who owns the company for many years, since I was little. I knew of him for most of my life, I would hear his name because I was with my grandpa a lot growing up. Always going to see the guys work, to watch the trucks and ride the roller. I felt like I have known him for years even though I only worked with him for a summer.
He died of cancer only weeks after he was diagnosed. It happened so suddenly, it took me completely off guard. The last time that I had seen him was a only a couple of months ago when we had a late Christmas dinner for work. He was fine, just as normal as he was the summer before. At least thats what it seemed like. Ronny was a very kind person, he had a gentle soul. I don’t ever remember him getting angry or losing his temper while we were working, that stood out to me. That is one reason why we talked a lot, cause he was never in a bad mood. And the fact that we talked so much kinda bothers me because we talked about nearly everything, except the most important thing of all, God. I honestly don’t know if Ronny is in heaven and that tears me apart. I’ll never know what his last moments were like but even the fact that I have to wonder kills me inside. All those opportunities that I had to witness and even just casually talk about Christ, I could have made an impact on his life. I could have avoided feeling this way, could have avoided having to wonder where he is now. It’s a horrible feeling. Everyday we talked, and every day went by without talking about God. What could we have possibly been talking about that is more important than that? I am struggling with this right now. Even if I would have casually mentioned God here and there could have sparked an incredible conversation that could have changed his life. I wish thats how it had gone. I know that I can’t live in the past, I have to move on and think about the future. I guess the only thing that I can hope from this situation is that I showed God to Ronny through my actions, even if we didn’t talk about it. I hope that he saw God working through me and maybe if he didn’t talk to me about it he talked to someone. That I can take hope in. I have to live my life as best as I can for the LORD and hope that he shines through me. I pray Ronny saw that and found truth in Jesus before he died, because I hate this feeling of uncertainty. I know now that I have to take these opportunities that God puts in front of me to witness and talk about Christ, even just casually. And to live in a way that honors him and hope that people see that and find Christ themselves. My grandma always talked about how none of the guys that worked for my grandpa knew Christ and when I started working for him she told me to be a light for God. I hope I was, for Ronny’s sake I hope I was. I never really thought about it that much when she said that but know I think about it everyday. Hopefully Ronny saw it and if I get the chance to work for my grandpa again this summer I’m going to make sure that they see Christ in me! I will make sure of it and will talk about God, in hopes of sparking a greater discussion that could lead to someone finding Christ. Even if just one of them finds God it is so completely worth getting up at 6 am every day in the summer and working hard all day. Even if I am exhausted everyday after work, it WILL be worth it all!

Rest In Peace Ronny