Just after grandson David left for work at 6:40, I received a text message about an accident on the highway. I signed up for emergency messages from the county, and this was the first one I received. It said, “Jonathan Creek Road is closed @Powell Saw Mill due to a traffic accident. Avoid the area.”

We knew David was driving the other way and proceeded with our morning walk. Going down the steep hill, we realized people were using Qualla Road to get around the blockage. Normally about five cars pass us, and this time there must have been 15.

This was the scene we saw as we crossed the road. I had zoomed in with the camera, so we were not as close as it appears.

John suspected there had been a death, because we didn’t get a message that the road was opened until three and a half hours later. We didn’t expect to know anything more and went about our day. After school, neighbor Logan (9) visited with us for an hour or so. Bob came to the door to get him, and John asked if he knew anything about the accident. He had the details. There had been a previous accident on the road, a bit closer to I-40. Claud, a first responder, sped toward the site and smashed into the back of a logging truck. He was killed instantly. Bob knew him, because Claud was the one who responded to a couple of emergency calls on our street.

It is sobering to find you have a slight connection with someone whose life ended abruptly like that. It’s a warning to stay prayed up and ready to go.

On a brighter note, I found some blooms on plants near the fence. Neighbor Joyce shared a bunch of roots with us a year ago. They not only survived our over-eager mowers, they grew and blossomed.

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