Goodbye Mr. Sam

Mr. Sam was my neighbor. He lived directly across the street from me. Mr. Sam was a guy who could literally fix anything and never  got frustrated with me when I would come to him halfway through a repair and finally had the sense enough to know I was over my head. Mr. Sam would always gladly spend the time helping me out.

Last night I watched a good friend and a great neighbor die. My son called down from his room that there was an ambulance outside of Mr. Sam's house. I rushed to the door and immediately saw another neighbor holding the door for the paramedics. I ran across the street ad saw Mr. Sam being tended too. They were working very hard on him , giving him CPR and chest compressions with all their might, trying to get a pulse. I have never seen chest compressions given as hard as they were giving him. They worked for over 10 minutes while I was there, before they loaded him into an ambulance, and drove off to the hospital with lights and sirens blaring. We all gathered together and said a prayer for Mr. Sam as the ambulance drove away. Another neighbor and myself drove over to the hospital, not sure why, other than to be with Mr. Sam, He lived alone. As we walked into the family area, we were given the news that he was gone. It felt like I had been punched in the guy. I had just seen him earlier that evening. My neighbors said that he had just finished mowing someone lawn and had spoken to him not 10 minutes or so before they heard the screams for help by his girlfriend, who found him unconscious.

Life happens so fast. He was only 55 years old. He was a staple in the neighborhood and had a laugh I will never forget. He loved his Harley motorcycle and even named a little dog Harley!

When I got back from the hospital, after sharing the bad news with my family, I sat outside on my front porch and sat for a few minutes. I looked at Mr. Sam's house. It was now dark and empty. His truck was sitting in the driveway, and I thought I will never hear the sound of his motorcycle pulling up again, a sound that we could hear throughout the house.

It is going to be tough seeing what happens next with Mr. Sam's house, I am sure a new family will move in eventually, but to my family, it will always be Mr. Sam's house.

Rest in Peace Mr.Sam, and Thank you for everything you did for my family. You will be missed!