Warning: this blog post is serious in nature. However, I am really and truly hoping that you will read it anyway, despite the fact that it has nothing to do with fitness or food or crafting or kids. A tragedy has happened within my community, and it’s been tugging at my heart strings. I just can’t get it off my mind. And neither can so many others.

Last Monday, a man named Tim Bosma went missing after taking two men for a test drive in a truck he was looking to sell. A totally normal thing that people do every day in many countries of the world. Except it wasn’t normal this time – because he never returned home. I’m not sure what it was about this case that really got to me. Maybe it was because he’s around the same age as my husband. Maybe it was due to watching his wife’s tearful plea, begging for his safe return to her and their 2-year-old daughter. Or maybe it’s because of how innocent the situation appeared to be – and how scary that makes it for everyone.

A week went by, one of several suspects was in custody, but there was still no sign of Tim. Until there was. And it was not the happy ending so many of us had prayed for.

Tim Bosma was murdered, stolen from his family, friends, and community. A church-going family man, friend to many, with no hint of a troubled past, just gone. Here one minute, into heaven’s gates the next.

It is heartbreaking. It is angering. And it is so unfair.

As I mentioned, he was just trying to sell a truck. Another man had been approached by the same individuals the day before, but ended up safe at home. Whatever these monsters were looking for, he didn’t have. And whatever the motive, it is simply not good enough.

I’m praying for Tim’s family, who is relying on prayers right now to try to get through this horrific time. I am praying for his friends, who will never be the same. And I’m praying for the investigators, working so hard to bring those responsible to justice. I hope that they find them. And I hope that they pay.

More than anything, I am praying that when the cause of death is revealed, we will find that this young father did not suffer. His loved ones deserve to know that much.

I know that the family is relying on prayers like these right now to try to get through this horrific time. If you wish, you can leave a comment with your name and province, state or country, and I can pass it via the official facebook page. That way, they will know that prayers and thoughts are coming from all over the world.

I think that his wife, Sharlene, said it best when she summarized the senselessness of the situation (when Tim was still missing): It was just a truck.

(Note: Blogger is not currently allowing me to add photos. To put a face to the name, please go here.)