In the last few weeks, two people who I went to high school with have passed away.
Heather Brenno left the world after a battle with cancer. We were never really close but in my hometown everyone shared at least a little of a connection if you grew up in the 70s and 80s. She was loved by many and I am probably lessor of a person for not knowing her better.
But the stunning death to me was that of Hany Ghaleb whose cause of death is listed as natural causes. Hany moved to Ogdensburg right around the start of junior high school as I recall. We were close friends for part of his time there and then he moved away before graduation. However recently, through the magic of social media, we reconnected. Last summer he gave me advice for some friends coming to the Cooperstown region for a baseball tourney with their sons for food and fun. At the time I talked about coming back into the area and getting together, and yet we never made plans.
My peers are becoming used to saying good-bye to our parents. It is not shocking to hear of one of us losing a mother or father. But it is shocking that our classmates passed at such a relatively young age. One of the things that it brought up for me is how I have let so many formerly important connections in my life fade into the background. I am jealous at times when I see some of my fellow Blue Devils from O'burg hanging out, sharing time together on vacation and just being part of each other's lives. I take full responsibility for my failure of staying in touch. While social media has helped me have a nominal connections, I often feel on the outside looking into the lives of some of the people have used to be an important part of my daily existence.
So perhaps this will motivate me to reach out, I am not sure, but what I am sure of is that I have moved into a new stage of life. I am thankful that technology will allow me to reach back and maybe reignite old friendships. It may be great to truly see the people we have become and to honor those who can't, can continue to become.
May the friends we lost rest in peace, and may we remember them for a blessing.
Heather Brenno left the world after a battle with cancer. We were never really close but in my hometown everyone shared at least a little of a connection if you grew up in the 70s and 80s. She was loved by many and I am probably lessor of a person for not knowing her better.
But the stunning death to me was that of Hany Ghaleb whose cause of death is listed as natural causes. Hany moved to Ogdensburg right around the start of junior high school as I recall. We were close friends for part of his time there and then he moved away before graduation. However recently, through the magic of social media, we reconnected. Last summer he gave me advice for some friends coming to the Cooperstown region for a baseball tourney with their sons for food and fun. At the time I talked about coming back into the area and getting together, and yet we never made plans.
My peers are becoming used to saying good-bye to our parents. It is not shocking to hear of one of us losing a mother or father. But it is shocking that our classmates passed at such a relatively young age. One of the things that it brought up for me is how I have let so many formerly important connections in my life fade into the background. I am jealous at times when I see some of my fellow Blue Devils from O'burg hanging out, sharing time together on vacation and just being part of each other's lives. I take full responsibility for my failure of staying in touch. While social media has helped me have a nominal connections, I often feel on the outside looking into the lives of some of the people have used to be an important part of my daily existence.
So perhaps this will motivate me to reach out, I am not sure, but what I am sure of is that I have moved into a new stage of life. I am thankful that technology will allow me to reach back and maybe reignite old friendships. It may be great to truly see the people we have become and to honor those who can't, can continue to become.
May the friends we lost rest in peace, and may we remember them for a blessing.
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