Unexpected Loss Less Ordinary

Greetings Dear Reader,

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.” – Meditation XVII, John Donne

As many of you know I am a college professor and that I love my students dearly. Yesterday I watched our dean struggle through informing us that one of our students had passed away suddenly over the weekend. Further it was one of my students. I will not go into the details of his passing but I do want to talk about the suddenness of the loss.

This student was a good student. He did his work well, helped others, and was in line for an excellent future in the industry. That is all gone now. We are lessened for it. Those who received his help will no longer benefit from it when they are in need. The teachers who valued his work will not perceive that moment of joy and satisfaction when marking his work. I will no longer greet his smile in the hall and hear how happy he is with his progress and learning.

Today I and all who knew return to their lives lessened, diminished. God knows what he is doing even though in this moment all I see is lost potential in lost youth. I am lessened but can become more. I am diminished but can increase. It all depends on how I take in and digest this tragic event.

I must honor the loss of this fine young man by seeing it through the eyes of my faith and realizing that loss is gain when I do so. I must cling to my faith so that I may comfort my other students. I must use my faith so that I may mentor the teachers who look to me for leadership. I must wield my faith so that I do not look past it to foolish pondering that would in turn diminish me further.

Death seeks neither approval nor lease to visit us. He makes his appointed rounds at the behest of God and that divine construct of history that we barely grasp at our best of times. So to my student, I say I love you and will miss you. To those of us left behind I send the challenge to be better for having known him. “Good night sweet prince, and may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."