Filling the void of loss with the memories of love.

Summer is a coveted season to all students.  We can all relate whether you are getting an internship, working at the mall, or just plain hanging out with friends all day. We, as students, look forward to the hot days at the pool with those stupid summer assignments in the back of our mind. I don’t want to say that summer is all that unique, but I believe that all students attach certain magic to it, if only in our heads.  With that being said, I came into summer feeling very optimistic. I had just started work at a brand new job, and I was not sour about sleeping in almost every day.  Life was really starting to feel right, and when I went to bed on June 10th I had no idea what was in store for me the next day.

I woke up at 6:30 in the morning to four missed calls from one of my closest friends from high school.  I knew something was wrong, so I immediately called her to see what was so important that she had been calling me all night.  I remember that conversation so clearly it’s haunting. I called and asked her what was wrong immediately, and she told me that my best friend of 13 years was killed by a drunk driver on the way home from his girlfriend’s house. It was a normal Wednesday night, he wasn’t speeding, and no one was on the road. The other driver swerved across two lanes of traffic and collided with him head on and killed him on impact.             

All I could think about was how this could happen to him.  How could this happen to me?  There is not one person on the entire planet that knew me better than this kid. Almost every single one of my favorite childhood memories involves him. How can someone so close, and so special, be dead? He knew every secret, every inside joke, and every dream I ever had, and now he’s gone. I still have his name under my favorites on my phone because I can’t bring myself to delete him. There are days where I think if I just text him he’ll hit me back and call me a slut like he always did. But as much as I want him back and miss him, my best friend is dead.             

I feel like this story is very relatable to Oklahoma students, especially after the tragic loss of Taylor Witcher due to similar circumstances. I’m writing this article in dedication to the kid who wrestled pandas with me in the pouring down rain when we were obsessed with WWE back in 4th grade. I’m writing this article for all of the kids who died before their time. And I’m writing this article for the kids who understand the saying, “the good die young” better than anyone else. 

It doesn’t ever get better when you lose someone.  The death of a loved one creates a giant pothole on this crazy ride we call life. The only advice I have is to not cover up the hole, and don’t swerve away from it because you know it will be bumpy. Fill that void up with the good memories, the laughter, and the love that they brought you. Don’t think about how much you miss them, think about that time where they looked you straight in the eye before they threw that watermelon straight into the air in the middle of Wal-Mart. Life keeps moving forward, and I know Joey would want me to look forward as well. 

I leave you with this statement, love your friends and family like you’ll never see them tomorrow, cause one day, you won’t.