Remembering Ricky

My friend Ricky was very special to me. We shared a lot of
laughs together and talked about a lot of deep subjects. We shared
our views on almost everything and agreed on everything. I miss him
a lot. This is a little of our story.

I met Ricky's niece on-line and became friends with her. Her
uncle Ricky she told me was feeling down. I decided I'd mail him a
card to cheer him up. I'm so glad that I did. It was one of the
best things I could have ever done.


After that first card, the letters started flying back and
forth and a quick friendship formed. Ricky loved all the same things
that I did. Rainbows, sunsets, and walks in the rain were favorites
of his. Ricky also loved the Lord Jesus. He had a very strong
belief in all of our Lord's teachings and was very peaceful in
knowing where he would go.

Ricky was different from me and most of the rest of us by one
thing. He lived his life on death row every day. Where most of us
don't know when we will die, Ricky did. The date was set for him.
Not in the normal way where it is set by God and only He knows for
sure, but Ricky's was set by man. It is a very fearful thing to live
each day being fully aware of the very minutes as they are counting
down to your death. But Ricky was strong, strong in his faith.

The day got nearer and nearer. Way too close for comfort
when you are dealing with a friend of yours. I couldn't find it in
myself to grieve. I couldn't find it in myself to believe that a
friend of mine would be killed by our own government. Ricky, on the
other hand was okay. He had given his life to the Lord and
therefore, accepted his fate. He was ready to go on home.

Ricky was the one on death row, he was the stronger one
because of his faith. In the last 24 hours that he lived on this
earth, he wrote me a letter, the last one he would ever write to me.
In his letter he said that he wasn't scared. He was looking forward
to seeing our Savior. He also asked me not to worry about him, that
he knew he was going home to be with the Lord and he'd be fine. He
assured me that he'd check in on me whenever he got a chance.

My experiences with writing to death row inmates has not been
an easy one. It has on the other hand been a strengthening one. I
have discovered that Jesus puts us in the path of others for a
reason. Through knowing Ricky, my belief in Heaven has grown much
stronger. I have no doubt that I will see my dear friend again one
day. We will dance and sing and celebrate Christ's love together
surrounded by all the angels.

Lesley T. Standish
11/7/00