Shocking

So yesterday I was driving home on lunch and I was listening to the WGN 720 news...heard a report, which seemed like it was in slow motion, that Channel 2 Morning News Anchor Randy Salerno was killed in a snowmobiling accident in Wisconsin over the weekend.

And I say that it was in slow motion because you know when they lead the news with somebody's name your mind races..."I wonder what the next couple of words are going to be. Were they nominated for an award, arrested, discovered in a conspiracy or scandal, promoted, making a comment about one of the presidential candidates in an un-newsman-like way??" Nope the worst of all, killed in a terrible accident. It sounds like the "friend" that was with was under the influence of alcohol and being charged with his death and vehicular homicide. Now there's something that you sure wouldn't see coming with your use of alcohol during the "good, fun times" of a snowmobiling trip in the North. Little did he know that when he tipped those bottles that a short while later his friend would be dead and he would be headed to prison for a while.

Every morning on the Rise and Shine show, we monitor 2 TV screens. The one on the left is the WGN Channel 9 TV (which I always want on so that I can have the downtown lakefront temperature when we do the current temps) and on the right we monitor a cable news channel...usually Fox News (no comments, please). And Randy used to be on our left screen every morning doing his thing...and I always used to jokingly comment about how I didn't like him because he seemed so arrogant and didn't seem to be truly having a good time on there. Now he's not around and his coworkers seem to be telling the exact opposite. The same thing happened a couple years ago when I was covering village board meetings for another radio station. There was this one particular board member that was an old guy and I interviewed him about an issue once and he gave me a message that was a little less than coherent and intellectual. So I dismissed him as an old "coot" (is that word still valid?) and mad efun of him from time to time (The great person that I am). Well, a few board meetings later, the mayor stood up at the beginning of the meeting and said, "Please rise and join with me for a moment of silence to honor our friend trustee (his name) and his recent passing."

I really didn't know the guy, nor did I know Mr. Salerno, but these two incidents surely make me think about the way I refer to people and even think about them. That's probably not the way Jesus thinks about people.

So that reminds me of this 1972 Glen Campbell song that seems to fit. Check it out and listen to the words, if you get a chance:



Have a good day! :O)
Johnny