Reality is to be Experienced

"Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced." -- Soren Kierkegaard

We moved to Katy, Texas in the summer of '93 to begin a new career as a preacher. I had worked with two different Dallas churches in an associate/intern role, and now I had the opportunity to preach for a new church start in Katy. This combined my entrepreneurial spirit with my passion for ministry. Katy is on the west side of Houston. Katy is the original home of Clint Black and Rene Zelwiger. Katy is also known for some of the best high school football in Texas and the nation.

Three years after we moved to Katy, I was no longer preaching for this church (maybe some day I will tell that story, bottom line, I wasn't ready for them and they weren't ready for me). I started working for a roofing company, selling roofs. One day I was in downtown Houston and decided to go to the library and research anything I could find on the death of my father. I found his obituary in the Houston Chronicle:

Hutchinson -- Ronald Hutchinson, 28, of 5618 Woodgreen, died Sunday. Survivors: Wife, Mrs. Beverly Hutchinson; daughter, Terry Ellen Hutchinson; sons, David Michael Hutchinson, Douglas Ronald Hutchinson,, all of Houston; mother, Mrs. Lula Hutchinson, Newington, Conn.; sister, Mrs. Alice Torrant, Thompsonville, Conn. Chapel services 4 p.m. Tuesday, 7820 Park Place Blvd., Rev. Robert B. McLaren officiating. Burial South Park Cemetery, Foogle-West Mortuaries, 7820 Park Place Blvd.

That day, reality came calling. It is amazing how much information is in this small report of a young father's funeral. First, it was startling to see my name along with my sister and brother. Second, it gave me the address of where he was buried. Third, it gave me the name of the minister who officiated the funeral.

This is also the day I found the first report of my father's accident. Years later I found another newspaper account. Several months ago, as I was going through the information I had gathered, one of the names in the obituary powerfully presented itself to my mind. I did a Google search; it was amazing what I found.