a great loss

My heart is heavy tonight as I learned the news that a high school classmate was killed in a car accident this morning.  That makes two this week.  It’s only Wednesday. Two separate accidents on opposite coasts of the country. Two remarkable lives cut short on this earth.

I can’t say I was very close to either of them, but when you spent four years walking the same halls, attending the same football games, and participating in the worlds’ longest graduation ceremony, with all 600+ of us, a part of our stories will always be connected. 

Upon graduating, we were launched into a world of possibilities, waiting for us to make our mark.  There were athletes, political minds, teachers, heroes, and more. 

Earlier this week, the world lost a military surgeon, a hero.  I barely knew him, but someone who devotes their own life to saving the lives of others, what a beautiful, noble story.

Today, I was shocked to hear news of another classmates’ death.  In high school, he survived a nearly fatal crash.  I remember how we all waited and prayed and waited and his recovery was miraculous.  Earlier this year, he and his beautiful wife welcomed their second baby, a girl, into their family.  Anyone who knew him would speak to the kindness and the warmth of his character.

In my newsfeed on Facebook, a few posts caught my eye and lead me to his page. Post after post filled with regards and prayers and love for him and his family.  It struck me and I couldn’t shake that nearly 10 years ago, we were all signing each other’s yearbooks with memories and wishes for the future.  And tonight, messages of a different sort.

As I enjoyed the evening with my little family tonight, watching my kids be silly, laughing with my husband, my heart also aches. I hugged them all a little longer. I thanked God for them a few extra times.  I can’t begin to imagine the feelings, the loss, and the journey ahead for the loved ones of these two guys. 

I suppose all I can do is offer my prayers for love and comfort.  And I can make sure to love like crazy today and tomorrow and for all the time we have left on this earth.  The thing about love is that it never runs dry, and from the source of endless love flows more and more.  So, use it all up, every little drop.