Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

pbremmerman
Jun 18, 2025
2 min read

If you've ever wondered why life seems to target the kindest souls with the cruelest twists, this story might hit close to home.

The Perfect Summer Setup

Picture this: a backyard pool filled with about 15 kids, the kind of chaotic summer scene that makes for the best childhood memories. We had discovered these little hard berries from some tree – I still don't know what kind it was – but these things were rock hard. Perfect ammunition for the kind of impromptu warfare that only kids can orchestrate.

We'd grab pieces of plastic pool furniture, duck down in the water, and launch these berries at each other. Looking back, we were probably clogging up the pool filters something fierce, but in that moment, we were having the time of our lives. This had become our daily ritual – every single day, the same glorious chaos.

The Kindest Heart in the Middle of It All

Right in the center of this berry battlefield was my sister – and I need you to understand something about her. She is probably the most kind-hearted person you've ever met. The type of person who goes out of her way to help others, who never has a mean word to say about anyone, who somehow manages to see the good in every situation.

And there she was, surrounded by 15 kids hurling berries like we were in some sort of aquatic war zone.

When Things Go Sideways

My brother Jesse, who pitched at Mississippi State, decided to show off his arm. He reared back and let one of those berries fly with everything he had. That berry came screaming through the air, through the plastic pool furniture I was holding, and hit me right in the eye.

Now, I should mention that there were pool skimmers lying around – you know, those long-handled nets with the sharp aluminum edges. In my moment of retaliation-fueled rage, I grabbed the nearest one and hurled it about 10 to 15 feet across the pool area.

My sister came up out of the water at exactly the wrong moment.

The Moment Everything Changed

The pool skimmer hit her directly in the head, and I watched in horror as it essentially scalped her. She grabbed her head, and I immediately knew I had crossed a line that couldn't be uncrossed.

"I'm sorry," I stammered, but the damage was done. Then came the desperate plea that every kid knows: "Don't tell mama."

But here's the thing about accidents – they have a way of making themselves known. My sister walked all the way around the lake with 7 or 8 little boys following behind her like a curious parade, all of them probably wondering how much trouble I was about to be in.