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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2008-06-03

A Source Of Light: Stevie Burns 

Unfortunately, there are times when we only are able to see the brightness of the light around us once it is extinguished.

His girlfriend, Megan Voorhorse, 17, jumped from the 35- foot cliff. Kroonenberg followed her in.

Voorhorse climbed out, but Kroonenberg couldn't. She began struggling against the current.
The frigid temperatures were causing her energy to drop rapidly.

"Get down here!" Ingels yelled at Burns.

Burns jumped from the same 35-foot ledge after Kroonenberg.

"He knew he was going to get me out of there and I knew he was going to get me out of there," Kroonenberg said.

Burns handed her off to Ingels, who dragged her out of the hole.

But the current sucked Burns away from the exit point, behind the waterfall, and up against the smooth cliff wall.

His friends watched helplessly from 15 feet away as Burns struggled for nearly five minutes, then grew limp and sank into the icy churn.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."--John 15:13

No matter how stupid we may consider the decision to jump from 35-foot cliffs, or to go taking dips in the fast moving waters of the high country this time of year (and, let's face it--how many of us really have any business being alive given some of the decisions we've made before? surely not me), there can be no doubt that "Stevie" is a hero.

It is horribly sad for his family, and we reach out to them in prayer.

But we hope the word of Stevie's heroics go far and wide; and, in a perfect world, somebody who has heard his story will be inspired to such heroics of their own someday. Like Obi-Wan, in death perhaps he can be more powerful than he was in life, making others aspire to his example where they otherwise wouldn't have.
Posted by: Michael / 6/03/2008 12:54:00 AM

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