I saw him last at my Dad's house in Florida the week after Christmas, but apparently I didn't take any photos that day. I look back through folder after folder and finally there he is, sitting on my brother's porch in North Carolina in the summer of 2015, his boyish face and gentle smile surrounded by people who loved him.
What happened to that gentle boy who wanted to be an artist and had the talent to back up his dreams? Adolescence happened and drugs happened and mental health problems happened and now he is dead at the tender age of 18.
Who can make sense of a loss like this? Words don't seem to be working right, so all I can do is sift through photos, searching for an elusive smile and trying to hold on to memories of a fleeting life that slipped away too soon.
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| My nephew Sam, 1999-2018 |
3 comments:
I am so sorry.
That is a lovely smile. I'm very sorry. Late adolescence can be a hard passage for many people, and the relative ease of accessing good mental health care (difficult to impossible) and drugs (all too easy) doesn't help. My condolences to all of your family.
We appreciate all the kinds words and support. It means a lot.
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