GONE TOO SOON........
To compile the multiplicity of words to describe the loss of KOBE BRYANT would be futile at best. When you multiply that his daughter and SEVEN other passengers also lost their lives in the helicopter crash - it is almost hard to imagine. Below is what I posted on my personal FaceBook page this morning:
"Countless people on a regional, national and i nternational scale woke up to a "new reality". How fragile (and short) life "really" is and now quickly we can take life (and people) for granted. The aspirations for fame and fortune can pale in comparison to a loss of this magnitude. I mean - you cannot put a price on the warmth of someone's presence or the irreplaceable immensity of their smile! While some may feel a sense of association with Kobe Bryant - truth is - ALL OF THESE LIVES MATTER! Each family is grieving with different levels of intensities - and so are we. It is almost intoxicating seeking to hear *updated* news clips about this tragedy - but nothing is as sobering as realizing that there will be NINE FUNERALS, NINE CASKETS, NINE GRAVES, NINE empty spaces in the hearts of so many. Long after the public (and private) "Celebrations of Life" have taken place, mourners will have returned to their routines of life and the flowers have wilted - BUT - processing this loss will linger for a very long time. When praying for the Bryant family (... and we should) - remember these other SEVEN. One single loss is devastating enough - multiplied by NINE - PHEW - if you haven't already - it is time to call upon God! Seek professional counselling if necessary. This enormity of this tragedy will not "just go away" from the minds and hearts of many (including myself) for a very long time. Rest in Peace! All NINE gone - but not forgotten!!" If I can only speak for myself - I find it necessary to have a catharsis - empty my heart and mind out - otherwise I may "carry this event around inside of me" for too long. There is no "happy ending" to this story. NINE lives are changed forever! In the case of KOBE BRYANT and any person in the professional or public spotlight - these people are "loaned" to us. We watch them perform and marvel at their God given talents and not consider that they are not OURS. The emotional divide is enormous! There are family members that need to mourn - a WHOLE LOT differently from all of us. Yeah, we (the adoring public) will weep - but the HOLE in the family structure will NEVER be replaced!
Just think. These NINE people left on what should have been a "routine" helicopter trip - BUT THEN - the lives of a region, a nation and international viewers was changed forever. Further noted on my FaceBook home page was this:
Just a regular Sunday and lives have been changed FOREVER! It is like - where do you start the grieving process? To say I will pray for the families seems futile (even though I WILL PRAY FOR THEM). I guess I have worked myself around to say - if "this" has affected me - just IMAGINE how the close family, friends and relatives must be feeling!!!!
OK... I have "rambled" on enough. The days, weeks, months and years to come will speak volumes about this loss. I suspect I may clear my head a little better and enlist a clearer delivery of WORDS. Today, I just needed to get "some" of my sentiments out. I fully expect a few typographical errors, a comma or two out of place, etc..... this has just been my form to "vent". This tragedy just hurts, y'all!!
Without question, this changes the "lens" of my sense of appreciation for life. I lost my (younger brother), my (father); my (older brother) and my (mother) ... so UNDERSTAND pan and having to enlist professional help to digest the grief process.
For me - this tragedy has made me more acutely aware of how fragile life is and how short it is! My "focus" for life is different. Yes, I got off track!! My quest to "do" or to "become" is NOTHING if God is not first and I PURPOSEFULLY must take the time to "re-appreciate" things and people I may have taken for granted.
OK. I am going to rest my mind - and calm my heart. This tragedy did NOT catch God by surprise. Many knees that may not have bowed will hopefully bow in the spirit of humility for those who are now resting in eternity. Thank you for listening.
Remember ALL NINE FAMILIES in your prayers, won't you?
I know I will.
"Countless people on a regional, national and i nternational scale woke up to a "new reality". How fragile (and short) life "really" is and now quickly we can take life (and people) for granted. The aspirations for fame and fortune can pale in comparison to a loss of this magnitude. I mean - you cannot put a price on the warmth of someone's presence or the irreplaceable immensity of their smile! While some may feel a sense of association with Kobe Bryant - truth is - ALL OF THESE LIVES MATTER! Each family is grieving with different levels of intensities - and so are we. It is almost intoxicating seeking to hear *updated* news clips about this tragedy - but nothing is as sobering as realizing that there will be NINE FUNERALS, NINE CASKETS, NINE GRAVES, NINE empty spaces in the hearts of so many. Long after the public (and private) "Celebrations of Life" have taken place, mourners will have returned to their routines of life and the flowers have wilted - BUT - processing this loss will linger for a very long time. When praying for the Bryant family (... and we should) - remember these other SEVEN. One single loss is devastating enough - multiplied by NINE - PHEW - if you haven't already - it is time to call upon God! Seek professional counselling if necessary. This enormity of this tragedy will not "just go away" from the minds and hearts of many (including myself) for a very long time. Rest in Peace! All NINE gone - but not forgotten!!" If I can only speak for myself - I find it necessary to have a catharsis - empty my heart and mind out - otherwise I may "carry this event around inside of me" for too long. There is no "happy ending" to this story. NINE lives are changed forever! In the case of KOBE BRYANT and any person in the professional or public spotlight - these people are "loaned" to us. We watch them perform and marvel at their God given talents and not consider that they are not OURS. The emotional divide is enormous! There are family members that need to mourn - a WHOLE LOT differently from all of us. Yeah, we (the adoring public) will weep - but the HOLE in the family structure will NEVER be replaced!
Just think. These NINE people left on what should have been a "routine" helicopter trip - BUT THEN - the lives of a region, a nation and international viewers was changed forever. Further noted on my FaceBook home page was this:
"THIS HURTS! On an unassuming Sunday while we are busy with the routine our own lives, people have gone to their eternal home. All of a sudden the traffic jam is non-essential. All of a sudden the temperature in church just doesn't matter. All of a sudden conversation about dinner with "Big Momma" is silenced. There is just a numbness in this moment. Kinda like the needle on a record player being scratched across the vinyl. This news just does not reel "real". I will ALWAYS remember where I was when I heard the news of this tragedy. "To be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord". Let's pray for ALL OF THE FAMILIES affected. Rest in Peace!While I take pride in my ability to have a continuity of thought, I feel a bit scattered today. If you "remember" the horrific tragedy of "9/11" you can also understand my sense of feeling "stunned". Certainly, it is futile to "compare tragedies" - you just cannot. My example here is that I felt a sense of numbness with "9/11" and that same sense of "this cannot be true" is evident within me now. Surely, it is not to say people cannot die - nor can I say "professional" people or people in the "public spotlight" are immune from pain - but THIS hurts. It is even more confusing to ME - because I was not an avid SPORTS FAN - yet listening to the news outlets - watching the people - it is a deafening feeling of a "REAL LOSS". Yeah, I was enjoying name association with KOBE BRYANT over the years but for some reason his loss has really hit me hard!
Just a regular Sunday and lives have been changed FOREVER! It is like - where do you start the grieving process? To say I will pray for the families seems futile (even though I WILL PRAY FOR THEM). I guess I have worked myself around to say - if "this" has affected me - just IMAGINE how the close family, friends and relatives must be feeling!!!!
OK... I have "rambled" on enough. The days, weeks, months and years to come will speak volumes about this loss. I suspect I may clear my head a little better and enlist a clearer delivery of WORDS. Today, I just needed to get "some" of my sentiments out. I fully expect a few typographical errors, a comma or two out of place, etc..... this has just been my form to "vent". This tragedy just hurts, y'all!!
Without question, this changes the "lens" of my sense of appreciation for life. I lost my (younger brother), my (father); my (older brother) and my (mother) ... so UNDERSTAND pan and having to enlist professional help to digest the grief process.
For me - this tragedy has made me more acutely aware of how fragile life is and how short it is! My "focus" for life is different. Yes, I got off track!! My quest to "do" or to "become" is NOTHING if God is not first and I PURPOSEFULLY must take the time to "re-appreciate" things and people I may have taken for granted.
OK. I am going to rest my mind - and calm my heart. This tragedy did NOT catch God by surprise. Many knees that may not have bowed will hopefully bow in the spirit of humility for those who are now resting in eternity. Thank you for listening.
Remember ALL NINE FAMILIES in your prayers, won't you?
I know I will.
Rest In Peace!
Comments
Post a Comment