Rest in Peace, Tely

Over spring break last week, one of the students in my grade who was friends with many of my close friends was shot and killed. This was really horrible news to return to school with, and I'm feeling so many different things about this. I feel so sorry for his parents. A week ago, their son was alive and well, looking forward to applying to college next fall, working on conditioning for next season's varsity basketball team, and complaining about homework just like the rest of us. And in the blink of an eye, he was dead and gone. Just a list of experiences never had, so many opportunities missed. An entire future taken away. Like I said, I didn't even know the student in life, yet I can just imagine the grief his parents must be experiencing, and it is breaking my heart.
The sorrow in my friends eyes has also touched me. He was their classmate--by all accounts, a good student, with a bright future, who loved to make them laugh. And then, no more. There will forever be an empty seat next to them in the classrooms missing the young man, and there will always be an empty place in their hearts which Tely  filled.
This tragedy has also brought my own mortality to the forefront of my thoughts. Yes, I'm young, but that means nothing. Every day that God grants me to live on this earth is a blessing, and I'm not grateful enough for that gift. I really need to take advantage of every opportunity that life affords me, so that one day I can stand before God and tell him that I did not squander his gift to me.

I guess, all in all, what I'm trying to say is rest in peace, Tely. You will always be missed.