Tim expressed love to others by giving. He was quick to share both his possessions and his time and, in a group setting, typically thought of himself last. That particular reality makes this part of his story perhaps the most difficult to tell.
I have become at ease with the once dreaded words “He passed.” I can now talk without losing my composure about the circumstance of his death and the circumstance when I received the news of his demise. I can now drive by the scene of his accident without grieving. All of those things are part of his story and they are the things on which I once focused in the aftermath of his passing, but they no longer torment me as they once did.
A much greater challenge for me today, is recalling what happened as the quiet period drew to a close. It began with what seemed like typical teenage rebellion, which I tried to dismiss as a phase brought on by the onset of male hormones—a boy growing into a man. Continue reading