R.D. Jones was my wife’s aunt’s husband. Her first husband, Allyson’s Uncle Lester, passed away a few years ago from Parkinson’s. She married R.D. at nearly 80 years of age, so that when they traveled they could share a room. The were truly in love, and he cared so much about her that he didn’t want it to look improper with 2 single people traveling together. He had cancer removed from his back a few months ago, and it came back, as cancer is prone to do. This time it was much worse, and he passed away Thursday morning at about 4am. So, we think, well, he was 84. I’ve got a long time before I’m to that point. Let’s continue.
Julie Steiskal wasn’t 84. She was 29. Julie was a photographer in Minnesota. I didn’t know her, but I knew of her. What I knew was that she was a very giving person that was having a ball at life helping people, and honoring God. She was on a youth retreat with her church, whitewater rafting Thursday. They were done for the day, and were washing up in a quiet pool before getting out. A young 17 year old named Andrea Evans was with her. An undercurrent swept through that pool, knocking Andrea off of her feet. Julie reached out to grab her and held her as the current washed through. She was holding a rock with her other hand. As she struggled to hold Andrea, she let go of the rock. They were both swept over the falls into a gorge below where their bodies were beaten and broken by the current and the rocks. Julie was by all accounts doing what she loved, in a place that she loved, with people she loved.
Here is a link to the story, and here is a link to a show of images of Julie put together by another photographer. The song is “Rita”, by Bebo Norman.
If you’ve been a church goer for very long you’ve probably heard somebody say “You never know when you might go. There are no guarantees.” Well, you never know. Julie and Andrea were not anywhere they shouldn’t have been, or doing anything they shouldn’t have been doing. All indications from what I know is that today they, and R.D., are in the presence of the Lord, because they had accepted His free gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. How about you? You really do never know.
