Alive and well in Russellville

By Staff
Jason Cannon, Franklin County Times
Sunday, a young man drowned in Smith Lake. Ordinarily this tragedy would be localized to the Sulpher Springs area where he was found and the grieving family who miss their loved one.
I missed the five o'clock news Sunday, so I knew nothing about it. But my grandparents didn't miss it and my home phone was soon thrown into hyper-overdrive.
Why? The young man's name was Jason Cannon.
My grandparents, much like any loving grandparents, are very worrisome. Especially since Tiffany and I live so far away from our family.
Honestly, the circumstances under which the young man died are a little scary.
At 24 years old, he was close enough to my age to raise a red flag.
He drowned while swimming on a fishing trip at Smith Lake with his father. My dad is an avid fisherman, and up until I moved too far to make regular trips, he and I used to frequently fish together.
Those that know me would know that it was entirely possible that I could have been fishing with my dad, so it's possible that I had drowned.
Also, he was last seen swimming in the lake near the home of a family member late Saturday.
Tiffany's parents live in Cullman, just a few miles from Smith Lake. Again, it was possible that Tiffany and Lizzie had stopped by to visit them while my dad and I went fishing.
I guess the topper to the whole thing was that I was off from work Friday.
Most everyone knew I was off work, but some didn't know where I went or what I was doing.
Did I spend a long weekend with Tiffany, Lizzie and her family and die in a tragic accident while fishing with my dad?
No, but they had no way of knowing that.
The phone calls continued through the night. I ran into several people Monday and Tuesday that said they were happy to see me, glad to see that I hadn't drowned.
Some saw it on the news Monday morning and called and left voice mails at work. My email box was full of emails Monday morning, some time stamped at a few minutes after 5 p.m. Sunday. I guess it was one of the lead stories.
Others said they went online to see if there was more information available, hoping to find some indication that it wasn't me.
My sympathies go out to the young man's family but to my knowledge, we weren't even related.
However, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who have called and emailed to make sure I was all right after learning of my possible demise.
Tiffany and I have only lived in Russellville for a short time but we thank you for your care and concern. This community has embraced my family and for that we will forever be grateful.