Our community experienced a loss this week – a death that touched our church body. One of our students shared her thoughts as she processed the messiness that is this life.
First day back was really hard. Even just stepping into the sophomore hallway you could feel his absence and how heartbroken everyone was.
Everyone was silent and mourning all day. Everywhere you went there was crying and hugging.
It was hard, but it was nice to see the community when two people who would have never said a word to each other otherwise were hugging, crying, and grieving together. There was a bigger feeling of togetherness and trust, and since everyone, although some more than others, felt the same pain and heartache there was no judgement when someone burst into tears, just a showering of encouragement and uplifting words.
For me, the hardest part was knowing that someone I knew since elementary went through so much that he felt that the only escape was death. It hurt knowing that I would never see the kid that brought the biggest stuffed animal to class in 3rd grade, and had The Office theme song for his ringtone ever again. He would never again play the guitar again for our Flex class, or cheer everyone up with jokes in Spanish. It was painful to know that the guy who could go up and joke around with anybody was gone forever.
Thank you for your support and for being there. It’s really nice knowing that my school and I aren’t alone during this time.
When tragedy hits, community is a lifeline. Pray for our students … that they would love – and lead – others well as they mourn.