Love you forever and always,
Momma

How many of you attended Rooster’s funeral? I was there. One of the things I remember most about that day, was the first thing we did when the funeral started. Anyone remember? By the family’s request, the first thing that we did was say a prayer for Jennifer Bates and her family. Yes, she was drinking and driving and she shouldn’t have been. Yes, she made bad choices. Yes, she killed my loving, beautiful cousin Rooster, whether intentional or not. And yes, she needs our love, forgiveness, and prayers…just as Rooster’s parents need them.

Dustin was a Christian who believed in God’s grace and mercy. God forgives us, no matter what sin we commit, big or small. It’s all the same to Him. However, there will always be earthly consequences for those sins. If a girl gets pregnant out of wedlock, she can be forgiven by God, but it doesn’t take her pregnancy away. She still has to deal with the consequences. Jennifer Bates did something she shouldn’t have done that September afternoon. She drank heavily and drove. Those actions cost the life of my cousin. She is now facing the consequences. She has been facing the consequences for 2 years now, and she will spend the rest of her life doing so.

I’ve read a lot of talk about how she is a different person now than she once was. I read her sister’s comment of how she has lost the sister she once knew. How her father lost his daughter in a sense. I can understand that it’s hard to look at someone who is still here but is also still so different. I understand it every time I look at Rooster’s mom. She is different now. She doesn’t laugh as much as she once did. She no longer has a son to love, and that has changed her into a different person. His death changed a lot of people. Jennifer Bates was just one of those people who was changed by her actions. Some may think that it’s easier to deal with losing someone entirely than it is to lose the person they once were. But in families who are as close as Dustin’s was, you can’t lose a member to death without it changing the people that loved him.

I hope that Jennifer Bates understands enough to know that Dustin’s family is praying for her. I hope she understands enough to put faith in God to have the best life she can, no matter what her circumstances. I pray for this for her, because I want her to make it to Heaven one day. I promise Rooster will be first in line to hug her at the Gates.