Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Steve Irwin

It's strange how the death of a stranger can have an effect on you. A few years ago the wife of a list member from the Orthodox Convert list died. It tore me up. I had exchanged a few private emails with this person, but nothing legthy. When Princess Di died, it didn't phase me. It was tragic, sure, but I had no connection to her. Chris Farley, sad, but not surprising. When Phil Hartman (SNL alum with Farley) died, it really touched me. He seemed like such a nice guy, a neighbor who'd loan you his trimmer and ask your family over for burgers.

I liked Steve Irwin. I liked watching him and Sui (his dog) then later Terri (his wife) go chasing after crocs to relocate. Or schreeching to a stop in the middle of a back country highway to rescue a snake that had been hit by a car. Or organizing the rescue of a huge croc from the zoo in a war-torn country. I felt like Steve was a nice guy. He was who you saw on the screen. Exuberant, madly in love with his wife and kids, absolutely loyal to his friends, and genuinely concerned for all of Gods creatures.

I'll miss Steve. We should all take as much joy in our jobs and family as he did in his.

Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend the soul of thy servant Steven, and beseech thee to grant him rest in the place of thy rest, where all thy blessed Saints repose, and where the light of thy countenance shineth forever. And I beseech thee also to grant that our present lives may be godly, sober, and blameless, that, we too may be made worthy to enter into thy heavenly Kingdom with those we love but see no longer: for thou art the Resurrection, and the Life, and the Repose of thy departed servants, O Christ our God, and unto thee we ascribe glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

3 comments:

Philippa said...

This shocked me to no end when I heard it. At first I thought it was a spoof only to find out it was true. I enjoyed Steve on the rare day when I watched Animal Planet. I always thought he'd get past what ever the danger was. Unfortunately, not this time.

Memory eternal!

DebD said...

I am surprised at how much this has effected me too. My kids were absoltuly devoted to Steve so I probably watched him more than the average adult. I think its because he was not an actor but a real person and it was so obvious that who he was on tv was what he was like in person. He's the kind of guy everyone wishes they had as a friend.

Deb

Mimi said...

Isn't it interesting who catches you? I never watched Steve Irvin, but was certainly surprised to hear of his death.