He is Gone

He was a sophmore, majoring in Psychology. And this week, he killed himself on campus. I did not know him and yet hearing of his death, reached a sadness in me so deep, it is with me still.

     I pass the place where he last felt life. My daughter scattered fresh lavender to make an offering to him and to honor him. I had cut the lavender from our last plant. I kept a little and left it in my car. The scent reminds me to reach out to others, to always notice and acknowledge others, with a smile, a “hello,” some act that bonds us if only for a moment in our shared existence on this Earth.

     I will carry his name with me. I will be softer still with those around me and with myself. I will honor his life with mine. And still, I weep for him, for his family, for his friends…for his life.

      Let us take our lives and connect them to those around us. Greet all, see all, …because we each have a story. Look into the eyes of those you pass, with a softness that communicates your intention and I shall do the same.

     And if you are reading this today, my hope is that you too may soften your gaze and reach out to others, each day, each moment, as we exist together, on (as Carl Sagan put it so eloquently), this Pale Blue Dot.