Reverend Ref +

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

Wednesday was a LONG day. First, the Sheridan area Lenten breakfast at Oh-Dark:30, then off to work to try to get some sermon writing done.

At 9:45, I got a phone call from one of my parishioners: "Dan's been in a bad accident, and he's at the hospital."

The sermon can wait. So I walked up to the hospital, since Mrs. Ref had the car that day; and, hey, it's Sheridan, you can walk anywhere. I arrived at the same time as the ambulance. Dan was not looking too good. He was out in his field chasing down a troublesome coyote when his rig hit a rut wrong and rolled. Uncomfirmed reports say three times. Luckily one of his hired hands was right behind him. The rescue squad got to the scene and cut him out of the truck.

The long and short of it is that his left ear was almost totally detached, he appeared to have broken his arm in several spots, and there was an undetermined problem in his neck (the hospital couldn't get a good x-ray because he was strapped so tight to the backboard). I sat with his wife for awhile at the hospital. He was airlifted to Missoula, and his family is with him.

The update is that his ear has been reattached, his arm isn't broken, his neck was. Neck surgery was today, and it went extremely well. Apparently the broken neck caused the arm problem. Word now is that he should be fine after recovery. Amazing, amazing, amazing.

I hung out at the hospital after his family left to gather things needed for the trip to Missoula. That was a good thing, because I got to talk to him before they took him to the airport.

Then it was off to the Stockman Bar for a little "Theology on Tap." Not my original idea -- I heard that name used when I was in seminary. I met a few people, had some good conversations, Billy bought me a beer and promised to take me fishing this summer. Not a bad night.

It was a long day.