This is about a fellow classmate that took his life earlier this morning. Please have his family in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.
I
didn’t know Will but I knew of him. I knew his face and his smile and his voice
when I came across it. I’d never spoken a word to him but I knew plenty of
others who had. I didn’t know his story or why everything happened the way that
it had…but I did know that his story ended in a tragedy that united us all.
Today
at 4 o’clock I got to observe something that I didn’t think I’d ever have to
see. Despite the great loss that my school had suffered today, I got
to witness something beautiful. I got to witness the coming together of my
community as a whole. Today showed me how strong we really can be when we stand
together. I'm so upset and so sorry that it took the loss of one of our own for
us all to see how united we truly are...
There
was complete silence as we were all ushered into the church. I was crammed next
to one of my teammates and tried to ignore the fact that we all smelled horrible
considering that we had just come from practice. I looked around to see if I
could recognize a familiar face and was pleased when I found many. I was
utterly overwhelmed by the amount of students and faculty that came to show
their support. My team and I sat together, as did all of the sports teams. But
the closer that I got to my seat, the closer I got to the tears. I could hear
it all around me and I tried to close my mind to it.
The
service wasn’t a long one but it was lovely just the same. We exited the church
just the way we had come: in complete silence. As I rose from my seat, I saw
the face of one of my close friends. You could tell that the tears were
pressing at his eyes. I had been so good about holding my tears back for the
entire service until that moment. My self-control gave way. The tears came
easily and I wasn’t sure if I was crying for Will or for myself. It didn’t feel
right to cry because I had never known Will. It felt wrong to be getting patted on
the back and having people whisper “it’ll be alright,” in my ear. But I did it anyway…
Will
taught me a lot today. He taught me not to take things for granted. He taught
me that two minutes can make a difference. He taught me that in a time of
need, you will always have someone
even when you think that you don’t.
For
all that Will has taught us, I wish I could tell him thank you. So, I’m writing
this for you, Will. Not for me or for your classmates, suitemates, teachers, or
family. This is for you. Thank you.
You will truly be
missed--and not just for your kind heart but also for all of the lessons that you
taught--and continue to teach--us. Thank you, Will. Rest easy.
No comments:
Post a Comment