Sometimes, Tomorrow Never Comes

The unexpected departure of a friend.

Sometimes, Tomorrow Never Comes

He’s no longer answering messages; text, email or voice.  It is a sudden and profound silence.

Just a few weeks ago we had lunch together at Table Mesa.  Matt was in picture perfect health then.  We talked about stuff; business, family, hopes, dreams and plans.  Matt Isabell, founder of Tugg Logistics and Moab Companies excitedly expressed his big plans.  Shortly thereafter, we were working together to live his dreams by expanding his businesses to Pennsylvania and Utah, so he could take on new clients and enter new markets.  Then, just as we were reviewing the final draft of the lease, for his proposed facility in Pennsylvania, and beginning negotiations on another building in Utah, he became uncharacteristically uncommunicative.

That’s when I knew something had taken a dramatic turn.  I just didn’t know what that turn was, so I contacted others we were working with in this bold effort.  One of Matt’s sons, Joseph, spoke to me with an assurance that everything was still on track.  His father had entered the hospital for treatment of symptoms related to COVID-19.  He also expressed his confidence that his father would soon be well.  Then, we’d continue forward with our plans for tomorrow.

By the beginning of the next week, it had become clear that the timeline we’d forecast, to usher in the hoped-for-tomorrow, was not fitting into the current reality we were facing. Then, our hoped for, one week expanded into two, three, four, five, and six.  Matt wasn’t making progress in this amount of time, where he was being treated, so the decision was made to transport him to a larger, specialty hospital in Kansas City.  The transfer was to be completed on yet another tomorrow, the next day.

When that other morrow came his attending physicians determined that he was not strong enough to make the trip.  And, upon the next morrow, Matt was transported to another realm, to live with those of us to admired him, no more.  

Yet, Matt has given all of us more gift.  He’s shown us that even though a person goes through a lot in their life, had a lot of things thrown their way, they, everyone, can seek to find the good, while keeping their stuff; business, family, hopes, dreams and plans moving dynamically forward. We can all focus, as he did, on inspiring other people through our love and kindness.

Matt Rascon once wrote, “When you’ve been in rough water, you know and appreciate the calm.”

So today, I’m appreciating the gifts that Matt personally gave the world in his short time living here with us.  He was happy to share his goodness, knowledge and commitment to creating a brighter future for everyone. And he’s still doing so, even now, when he’s no longer answering messages; text, email or voice.  Remembering him and seeing what he created here tempers what otherwise would be a much more disturbing, profound silence.

Just a few weeks ago Matt and I had lunch together at Table Mesa.  Matt was in picture perfect health.  We talked about tomorrow and stuff.  Today, you and I are reminded that sometimes, tomorrow never comes.