How do you deal?

"Now cracks a noble heart.  Good night, sweet prince,

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

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How do you deal with the passing of a young person?

One of my former students, Dave Magoon, has moved beyond our reach. 

He was only 24. 

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This evening one of my former teaching colleagues called me.  In a sad little voice, she described for me in detail the funeral. 

The crowds and the long waiting line.  Courtney Howard's angelic solo "The Lord Bless You."  Images of his classmates -- both from Hoover, and from college, and from medical school.  I wasn't able to make it home for the funeral, but I felt as if I had gotten a glimpse.

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I've heard from many of my friends in North Canton, Ohio.  Voices of grief and pain -- colleagues, friends, former students.  All trying to come to grips with hard fact, that someone with so much promise is gone.

These are the moments that you wish for answers.  There are none that make sense right now.  It's reassuring to see that even the writer of Job -- a biblical treatise on suffering and loss -- didn't try to offer easy answers to his friends.

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In spite of the overwhelming grief one feels, it's reassuring to see the powerful impact that one life can have in such a short time.

 

I shall always remember Dave's clear voice during literature discussions.  And I shall never forget his immense capacity for love. 

 

I'm glad Dave Magoon is remembered with such fondness and love.

 

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One of my former students sent me to an Online Guestbook, if you are interested in leaving some remarks to the Magoon family (I did, as have many other well wishers).