Tragedy struck the Wyoming Area community this past week when 2019 graduate, Jake Busch died in a car accident with two of his Wyoming Area friends.
Too often we’ve seen such heartbreak with young people and many times it seems it happens at the end of a school year.
It was less than a year ago from that momentous occasion, one of the happiest days in his young life, high school graduation.
I didn’t know Jake Busch, but I’m sure along the way I may have photographed one of his football games or an activity in high school. He worked at one point at Driscoll’s Hardware in West Pittston, only a few blocks from where I live. Perhaps he took care of me while shopping there. I really can’t recall, but I want to.
When a person loses his or her life from your community or school district, it affects everyone. I’ve had friends offer condolences to me knowing Jake was from my area and school district. No, I didn’t know Jake, but Jake was one of us, he was one of ours.
Needless-to-say, it’s really sad that we, as a community, as his family, will not get to see Jake achieve his life’s goals, one of which was to be a Pennsylvania State Trooper. After talking to some of his friends and classmates, Jake would have made a great Trooper.
He was a handsome guy, a team player, a very good athlete and friendly and no doubt the State Police would have welcomed Jake with open arms.
It’s sad his younger sister, Ava, will be without her bigger brother and her protector.
His mother, Amy, lost a son, and that is the most devastating loss in life to lose a child. And the old saying is true; you should never have to bury your child.
I’ve had too many friends that have lost children, and I will never know how that truly feels because I haven’t experienced that in my life, but as a parent, it’s inconceivable.
My heart aches for his family, friends, classmates, teammates and his new friends he’s made while attending Bloomsburg University.
I’m sure Jake’s Wyoming Area classmates will do something to honor him in some way. Losing a classmate that you’ve spent pretty much your entire life with is indeed like losing a family member.
Yes, I want to believe I know Jake and even though I don’t, I hurt as if I did.
Just like many that passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jake was laid to rest with only immediate family present. Like many others during the pandemic, he didn’t get the proper good-bye, his friends won’t have closure and they didn’t have the chance to celebrate this bright light.
Jake will have a memorial service at a later date and even though it will serve as a celebration of his lifetime, it will be hard on family members to relive the pain, but with God’s help, it may provide solace to the rest of the community who mourn Jake.
To Amy, Jake’s dad, Jody, sister Ava, grandparents, family and friends, my prayer to you is to embrace the love from the community who many, like myself, that didn’t know Jake, and to know he was loved.
Judging by all the messages on social media this past week, Jake has left an life-lasting impression on many lives he touched that will remain forever … #19.
Red to yellow?
As we slowly work our way out of the red to yellow according to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we found patience to be a virtue and unfortunately, the medical crisis of COVID-19 has turned into a political hot potato.
Staying home and staying safe has been costly financially to many businesses and workers, but did we have a choice but to remain closed for business?
I get the frustration by many and social media is full of political pundits who want to make this into a Republican vs. Democrat thing and naturally put the blame on those at the top.
As I’ve stated in the past, I have to put my faith into the medical community and hope they get this right. If you’ve ever read on past pandemics throughout history, our current situation could be and still might be, much worse then it is now.
Only time will tell if we are making the right decision on a virus that we still don’t have a lot of scientific evidence.
No matter how much a governor or president gets paid, it’s not enough and I would not want to be in their shoes. One miscalculation and hundreds of thousand potentially could lose their lives.
Open Luzerne County? Yes. Open the country? Yes. I want that just as much as the next person, but proceed with caution is about the best thing to do at this point.
It’s reported that Philadelphia-Camden, NJ-Wilmington, DE is still a hot spot in the country – only two-hours from us in the south. New York City is still considered a hot spot, just two-hours from the east. Many from NEPA travel to both areas.
Do we put politics before science? I say no because I don’t know too many politicians on the state or national level that have their medical degree.
Quote of the week
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Thought of the week
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller
Bumper sticker
“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” – Audrey Hepburn
