Sunday nights have become my Bull time most weeks as of late, and let me tell you, what happens in a week can be amazing, it can be tough, and it can be exhausting the older I get. Case in point, now that we’ve reached the so-called spring sports season. Finally, see the spring sports preview in this week’s paper. After a crazy early spring snow storm that we featured in last week’s paper, thanks in part to many submitted pictures from around the county and the Grafton area, that was a doozy, like most spring storms are.
The spring sports season was welcomed in by a beautiful day for all three county track teams and the Sutton golf team last Tuesday, March 25, but then the tides turned a tad bit with strong winds, which we all know is typical Nebraska this time of year, to a much needed cold drizzly day this past Saturday.
It was Saturdays that hit the hardest, however, because the gray wasn’t just related to the weather, but the heartbreaking news of one of our local families losing a very young member.
Logan and Kami Searle of Edgar and their extended family lost a youthful member in their 2-year-old daughter, Cleo Renee.
It’s always heartbreaking to lose any family member, as we’ve all felt loss, but at the young age of just 2 years old, little Cleo is gone far too soon.
Over my years of being in this newspaper business, I’ve gone through a few of these losses for families that have lost young children, which really is the hardest part of doing what I do for a living.
I spend a lot of time building up relationships with administrators, teachers, and coaches, for that matter, people in general, and it’s never easy when a tragic loss like this happens, whether they are 2, 17, or 70. Loss is hard.
In the same right, when such an unspeakable loss happens, it always warms my heart when you see communities, school districts, people in general, step up to lend major support, heartfelt caring, and love to families with losses like this.
Coming up with words of comfort in regard to this type of loss is so hard for me.
Being a “words guy,” I just can’t even fathom this type of loss. There are no words in my vocabulary to even share how heartbreaking this kind of loss can feel like, because of the suddenness of the loss of little Cleo.
So, as nice as the first week of the spring season started with, it certainly ended with a dark and gray day.
All I can offer is my sincere condolences and my heartfelt prayers of comfort and ease. The Searle family has always been such amazing supporters of what I’ve tried to do during my time in Clay County, and I just want you all to know, you ARE, and will forever be in my thoughts, prayers, and heart.
May the good Lord above take great care of all of you.
You can support the Logan and Kami Searle family by donating to them by scanning the QR code in my column this week.
Let’s support this young family in a big, positive way through these unbelievably hard times.
