Inspiration

[tourbi]

A Sleeper Wave Came And Pulled Two Of My Best Friends Into The Frigid Water
Rusty, 18

In the eighth grade, my school basketball team entered a tournament on the northern California coast and stayed the weekend there. We, the team, had a great time hanging out with each other and enjoying the basketball tournament we played in, even though we were the worst team that attended. On our last day, minutes prior to our departure, we all decided to climb down to the tide pools to view the sea one last time. A sleeper wave came and pulled two of my best friends into the frigid water. The father of one of my other teammates, an ex-Navy Seal in his late fifties, dove in after them. He managed to save one friend but drowned in the process. One of my best friends and my teammate’s dad died that day. This experience was so foreign to me and seemed unreal. I didn’t know where to turn, so I turned to God. He gave me strength to be with friends and family in this time of need. He helped me to get over this tragic situation by helping me feel fortunate for what I have—great family and friends—and to be thankful for every day I live on this Earth. I was given the strength to continue living life, without forgetting this tragedy. I remember the heroics of my friend’s dad as he put the lives of two boys before himself, and I will never forget him or my great friend who also drowned that day. God has given me the strength to remember them, yet to move on simultaneously. When I think back to the two people who died that day, I remember their character and the good times with them, and I am happy that I even knew them at all.