Within the past few years, I've seen too many close friends lose parents, siblings, childhood friends, and teachers. From careless drunk drivers, terrible illnesses, heartless murders, and sudden heart attacks, numerous brothers and fathers, best friends, and role models have left us too soon. I cannot grasp why terrible things happen to such good people. Why friends' families have had unspeakable tragedies throw them through the ringer. But I guess we will never know why people are taken from us too soon.
The only thing I've found comfort in after witnessing these heartbreaking losses is the strength and perseverance of my friends and their families. Though engulfed in grief, they practiced kindness and love and never lost sight of what is important in life. Communities have stood and continue to stand together to fortify their resilience and to never let us forget about those beautiful souls we lost too soon.
Because of their strength, I've learned what matters most in life:
Kindness should never be thrown to the side. When the news constantly speaks of hate, poverty, sickness, and misfortunes, we can combat these forces only with acts of kindness. Terrible things will continue to happen; in life, pain is inevitable. However, after seeing my friends and their families act with kindness after the turmoil they have been through, I've learned to be gentler and more lighthearted with others because everyone we encounter in life deals with struggles of their own.
Family is not just an important thing—it is everything. While I am lucky enough to have an unconditionally loving family, I understand that others are not as lucky. Therefore, when I say "family," I mean it in the general sense, whether it is your birth family, or a family you have created with friends and other loved ones. Your family members know the truest form of you and love you endlessly. They will always be there for you, and you must cherish the time you have left with them because you never know if that time will be cut short.
Love does in fact exist, and it matters. From these terrible losses, I have seen networks of friends, families, schools, and communities embrace affected families with infinite love. I have seen my friends and their families forgive and continue to stand for love, seeing it as the only thing they can do to move on and give them the strength and the courage to withstand their blows. While death leaves us with heartache no one can truly heal, love leaves us with memories that can never be replaced. Love prevails and does not die with death. Rather, it is ingrained in us and permeates through our bodies forever.
