Ricky Ray Roberts was just 14 years old on May 31, 1987 ... the day he drowned in Glen Oak Park's normally quiet lagoon. It happened on a sunny afternoon in front of numerous people, none of whom realized in time that his horseplay in the pond had turned to real trouble. I myself was not present then, nor did I know the unfortunate lad.
Water activities aren't allowed there. Yet how many kids ever follow those kinds of seemingly trivial rules and regulations? And as for the adults who failed to take any prompt life-saving action ... well, can they really be faulted for not immediately noticing when a boisterous boy's carefree shenanigans suddenly, but subtly, became pernicious?
Tragedies occur without rhyme or reason. Young and old lives alike are sometimes extinguished as a result. Those questions of "Why?" cannot always be answered. Sadly, no rule exists which says that our universe has to be fair, or even make sense. The world is filled with both life and death. Goodbye, little boy lost.
Every now and then while at the lagoon, I think of that tragic event. Hey, I'm surely not some sort of religious freak ... {author's note: I must sincerely apologize for this rather crude phrase. The story was written eleven years ago, well before I began my own Walk in earnest, and presented to a mostly secular audience} ... but I do entertain certain theological tenets. I'm convinced that the human spirit is immortal. I also believe in Heaven and Hell. I accept as truth that when our time in this plane of existence has ended, we then spend forever in one location or the other.
Some people will choose to disagree with me, of course. Everyone has such a right. It is not my intention here to convince anyone of anything. Each of us keeps our own personal belief system. This one just happens to be mine.
Young Ricky Ray undoubtedly entered "The Good Place" on that fateful day. He was, after all, but an innocent child, engaged in harmless fun with his friends. How could the situation be otherwise? Paradise was surely his destination ... and the placid lagoon at Glen Oak Park is where that journey began.
I do not fully comprehend why this knowledge affects me as it does. Yes, the story is inherently sad ... yet somehow beautiful, nonetheless. Try as I may, these words do not seem capable of adequately explaining my perception. I can only hope that folks who read them will understand their fundamental essence.
Sometimes when visiting the lagoon at night, I think of how a human soul once left that spot to find another. The stars shine brilliantly most clear evenings ... both on the water, and high overhead. I will study their reflected images for awhile on the pond's shimmering surface, then shift my gaze up to the sky, looking towards Heaven itself, feeling so small, so utterly insignificant ...
... and I wonder if Ricky Ray Roberts smiles down at me as I do?
DR Engle ~ 1998
