Robbie Morrison comes from a back-canyon neck of the woods in Northern Utah; Morgan County. A place not famous for the Devils Slide, cow-tipping, and a few slapstick ski resorts. The first time I met Robbie he was doing dumbbell curls in the sweatshop known as Golds Gym. I was told he was going to be my new roommate. My new roommate didn't say much. My new roommate didn't make eye contact. My new roommate I thought, was a tool.
If it wasn't for our love of the gym, my new roommate and I would never really have gotten that close. It was our on and off court shenanigans that made it so we actually talked to each other. It was our competitive nature that made it so we were lifting partners all throughout college. It was one-on-one games at 11:30 at night that made my new roommate and I pretty good friends.
I felt privileged to have gotten to know him well enough, that my new roommate asked me to be one of the groomsmen at his wedding with his soon to be wife, Lindsi. "Wow! Really? I didn't know we were that close, new roommate?! You really are a great friend!" I thought.
Their wedding was beautiful. Lindsi and my new roommate had a great ceremony and luncheon. A memory for the ages. The day became more memorable as his best man and I traveled down to the reception in Moapa, NV. Things were going great until the best man fell asleep at the wheel going 95 mph, hitting the back end of a semi and rolling his Jeep Cherokee 7 times.
Waking up in the hospital, lying on a stretcher with a neck brace on, I was stunned to see my new roommate standing next to my bed. He told me he was there because he wanted to make sure I'd be alright. Forget the fact that his recently-wed wife was standing in the greeting line at the reception, BY HERSELF! Friends and family walked by only to stare back with awkward gazes and questions,
"Um, where's your husband Lindsi? Did he uh, get cold feet or something?"
"No, he's just being a loyal friend in a Mesquite hospital while his friends are getting treated for a near-death experience. I'm fine though, thanks for coming. Have some punch and cookies!"
Now I'm no wedding planner or anything, but I'm not sure if that was the exact motif that they were planning on for their reception. It was at that moment in time when God added a few more tally marks to their 'Incredibly Unselfish Acts in Life' list.
Yep, the Morrison's are one incredible family. A family now that has newborn twins rolling around on their carpet; Madden and Bostyn. And I will admit, I did get a little sentimental the other night when I was holding Bostyn and I realized that my new roommate is one heck of a husband, a dad, and a friend. That same phrase I thought when he asked me to be a groomsmen, has resonated in my mind every time we played basketball together. Every time he pulled me through a seizure. Every time I saw him standing in my hospital room on the night of his wedding; 'Wow! Really? I didn't know we were that close, new roommate?! You really are a great friend!'
I'll do my best to return the favor.
0 comments:
Post a Comment