It was hard to lose my father at the start of the year. Despite the lose I suffered there was some comfort in knowing he was on the path to eternity as it hastened my need to thank him and talk to him about his role in my life. There was a sense of closure in what was said; even if the reality did not live up to the expectation of the “talk” I was glad to have had it.
I suppose it was that sense of closure that I missed when my friend passed away some months ago. I have not written in the blog since it happened as it became easier to fall into the frantic nature of life rather than really face a closure I will never have. It had been a year since I spoke to him so it seemed odd to me that I felt so profoundly affected. I grew up with him and had the pleasure of knowing him as a friend from church and eventually a fellow youth worker at YFC. I suppose my initial shock came from having to find out on Facebook. I cannot yet explain why it has bothered me so, only to say that I never really got the chance to have that same closure I experienced with my father. I also suspect that dealing with my roommate who lost his brother two days later to tragic circumstance meant I could not talk to anyone at home about it as I did not want to compound my loss onto his.
I still want to say what I should have said to him, obviously not for his sake, but for mine. If I could have had the chance it would have been my privilege to thank him for his friendship. The fact the even after time apart when we spoke it would be as if there had been no time lost at all. His faithfulness to God and service to others was simply inspirational. I had often hoped that my own faith could brighten the lives of others as his did. I always remember how he kept a simply balance between faith, maturity and youthfulness. I am today a better man for having known him.
No comments:
Post a Comment