Give sorrow words;
the grief that does not speak
Whispers the o’er-fraught heart
and bids it break.
~ William Shakespeare, in Macbeth, Act IV, Scene III
Yesterday evening, I overlooked a group of about ten young men huddle up as a group to take a picture with the camera at their feet, an upshot of their faces. I smiled as I looked on--they didn't know I was watching them as they crammed together to make sure everyone fit in; it seems like such a cool thing for these boys to do in celebration of the moment.
It is hard for me to imagine that the seniors whose graduation I witnessed last night began as freshmen the same year I began teaching at my current site. Most are taller, more worldly, more mature. It is my hope that all will go on to lives that are rich in joy, fulfilled by what makes them happy. There are so many unique and strong individuals comprising this class; they've endured so much together. Though through all the hardships they've had to weather, I have always been impressed by their ability to recognize the moments that deserve to be celebrated rather than focus on the despair.
Even though school officially ended for them last night, I will see many of these graduates tomorrow at yet another memorial for a classmate from 2011 who left us too soon. I am proud of my students' ability to make this a celebration of the young man B---- was when it would be so easy to focus on the loss of the man he would have been had he lived.
I don't know how they navigate it so well, these young people; I never knew how to find happiness one moment while grieving in another when I was their age. Somehow, they manage. I wish they didn't have to.
I console myself with the memories I have of this young man; the after class chats with his two close friends, "The trio" Canadian Bacon, Burrito, and Lasagna; the Cubs shirt he loved; the book talk where he told me The Alchemist was the best book he'd ever read and he gave it to his friend to read because the idea that he had a personal legend to fulfill was true.
Tomorrow, I will celebrate that this young man's personal legend is reflected in all those who will come together to say goodbye and remember the impact he had on each of us. There are so many mourning his loss and wishing he had stayed longer; it is a reflection of the happiness he brought to us all as a friend, son, brother, student.
