The Kings "Light the Beam" comparison was very helpful context! I enjoyed the piece as a whole, of course, but that was an especially nice reference. 😄
A girl in my youth group died in a car accident when I was a freshman in college. She was a junior. She hit black ice, hitting a semi head on. I remember being in the campus dining hall and hearing the news from a friend who was from a neighboring town from my home town. Time stood still and the words didn’t make sense. She was 17. She couldn’t be gone. I remember the days after, feeling like life was so short and questioning everything I knew and believed. Faith, friendship, community. In my own short life, I’d never known such tragedy. This happened in the middle of a weekend basketball tournament my high school hosted every year. She had been on the court the night before she died. I remember walking into my high school gym and seeing all the signs and posters. FIOH. Forever in our hearts. Our high school retired her number and framed the jerseys for her parents. I remember standing in her parents’ kitchen with the basketball girls after that Friday night tournament. My high school had played her high school. It was the hardest game I’ve ever watched. Both teams fighting to win to honor her memory. She’d transferred from our high school to a bigger school in hopes of better college opportunities. A few days later, her memorial service happened. Driving there, my eyes were filled with tears. Our youth pastor did the service. I don’t remember much of what he said, but I remember him just trying to keep it together. They opened up the mic for stories. I never knew it was possible to laugh so hard at a funeral. Christina was one of a kind, and she laughed so loud. I can still her it in the youth group room at my church back home. She is greatly missed. I don’t even know why I’m sharing this on here, other than the feeling that writing and sharing stories allows other to do the same. What a gift we’ve been given in stories and community.
The Kings "Light the Beam" comparison was very helpful context! I enjoyed the piece as a whole, of course, but that was an especially nice reference. 😄
A girl in my youth group died in a car accident when I was a freshman in college. She was a junior. She hit black ice, hitting a semi head on. I remember being in the campus dining hall and hearing the news from a friend who was from a neighboring town from my home town. Time stood still and the words didn’t make sense. She was 17. She couldn’t be gone. I remember the days after, feeling like life was so short and questioning everything I knew and believed. Faith, friendship, community. In my own short life, I’d never known such tragedy. This happened in the middle of a weekend basketball tournament my high school hosted every year. She had been on the court the night before she died. I remember walking into my high school gym and seeing all the signs and posters. FIOH. Forever in our hearts. Our high school retired her number and framed the jerseys for her parents. I remember standing in her parents’ kitchen with the basketball girls after that Friday night tournament. My high school had played her high school. It was the hardest game I’ve ever watched. Both teams fighting to win to honor her memory. She’d transferred from our high school to a bigger school in hopes of better college opportunities. A few days later, her memorial service happened. Driving there, my eyes were filled with tears. Our youth pastor did the service. I don’t remember much of what he said, but I remember him just trying to keep it together. They opened up the mic for stories. I never knew it was possible to laugh so hard at a funeral. Christina was one of a kind, and she laughed so loud. I can still her it in the youth group room at my church back home. She is greatly missed. I don’t even know why I’m sharing this on here, other than the feeling that writing and sharing stories allows other to do the same. What a gift we’ve been given in stories and community.