It is difficult to find where to begin when it seems as if there have been so many endings recently. My hometown has lost so many lives, young lives, just within the past few years that it is absolutely overwhelming. What is even harder to grasp is the fact that those who are no longer with us were all within three years of my age. None were expected, and all were a hard hit to the soul.
As teenagers and young adults, we live life as though we are immortal. We make rash decisions, we take chances that we definitely wouldn’t take in our 30s, and we tend to make more mistakes than any other age group. We believe that we have the entire world at our fingertips, and we act accordingly. Life is great for us because we live in the present and have hope for the future. I honestly never give deep thought to the actual value of my life, until someone else’s is taken away.
The world we live in today is genuinely horrifying. All you see when you turn on TV are the bad things surrounding you, and we are so used to this constant bad news that we almost become numb to it. Events happening across the globe impact us, but probably not as much as they should. But when you get the news, and everybody can remember where they were when they received it, that a young life has been lost, the impact is greater than words. We have become so numb to the loss of life and tragic events that we think we can handle anything, that we have become cold. But when you hear that a student, friend, or peer passed away, the world stops, the sun doesn’t seem as bright, and all you can do is ask the question: why? When you realize that you will not be seeing the person you sat next to in English class at the five-year reunion, a very big struggle of faith begins to happen.
I have never handled loss well, and fortunately, growing up I never had to deal with many grievances. When I did feel the effect of a loss, I really didn’t understand it. But it seemed as I was ending high school, and now in college, the world has been especially cruel and flipped upside down. My hometown is going through such a tough time, and I am at college where no one around me really understands what is happening. Growing up, I guess I always had a perception that the elderly pass on to heaven. It is now difficult for me as a young adult to realize that some people will be forever young, taken too soon.
When I left my hometown, I never had the intentions of looking back. Since then, there have rarely been times I have missed the little place I call home. But when events like this happen, everything changes. I suddenly want to be back in those school hallways with everyone, and I want everyone to be present. Did we all have our differences? Oh, you know it. And at graduation, not all of the goodbyes were kind. But now, those are the people I miss most, simply because they understand. We all thought life was so tough when we were young, but now I am starting to realize that we didn’t take advantage of how good we had it.
I am proud of the community I come from. More importantly, I am proud of who raised me, and the people I was raised with. We have all went our separate directions, but even in those distances, we are all dealing with the same feelings. It is a difficult pill to swallow when you realize that mortality is real and that it isn’t something that happens exclusively to older generations. When a young life moves on, the entire community is affected, no matter how well you knew the person. I am seeing a transformation happen in my community, one that is filled with more love than division, and I am proud of that. I am honored to say that I knew those who have already passed on to Heaven. While it is difficult to deal with loss, it is important to remember all of the amazing things that the person gave you. Remember the good times, all of the laughs, stupid jokes, and times spent just hanging out. My hometown has quite a few guardian angels, and they are greatly missed. As angry and confused as we might be, I am proud that we are able to lean on each other for support. While it is most certainly a loss to have to say goodbye to a friend, try to remember all of the gains that they gave you during their time here.
One of my favorite quotes is by Mother Teresa when she said, “Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”
I am looking forward to being able to smile once again at those who have passed on in another time and place.
