It Tolls For Thee

'No Man is an Island'

No man is an island entire of itself;

 every man is a piece of the continent,

 a part of the main; 

if a clod be washed away by the sea,

 Europe is the less, 

as well as if a promontory were,

 as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; 

any man's death diminishes me, 

because I am involved in mankind. 

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

it tolls for thee. 

     Possibly my favorite poem (at least tied with How Did You Die by Edmund Vance Cooke), this wonderful work by John Donne describes very intricately how we are all connected to our surroundings and each other. To me it signifies that we are all a part of each other's experiences here, and we all have the opportunity to leave a positive or negative impact. Without these people in our lives, we would not be the people that we are today.
     The last two lines, however, leave the most impact on me. "...never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
     Whenever I hear about someone passing away, I think of those lines. Last week, it was Robin Williams. This week, it is my Special Olympics hero, David "Hoagie" Ritchie. Hoagie is one of the funniest and happiest people I have ever known, and this mortal world will certainly miss his smile and optimism. He was a simple man, who worked diligently toward his goals. The way he lived his life has helped many, many people be happier, even if only in the smallest and simplest of ways. Because of his departure from this world into the next, we will miss him and his love. We will not be able to leave Wal-Mart with quite the same same smile as before. We will not be able to be cheered up by his Facebook messages, texts, and calls out of the blue that make us laugh and be happy that we where thought of. When David went, a part of us went with him. We will not be the same until we are reunited one day.
     The same is with every single one of us. David helped us feel special because we are special. He understood that we all have our problems and we all face challenges, but he was able to look past that and see us for who we are. He is one of the great earthly examples of what I have come to know Christ by. I can only imagine their reunion with each other (and with Hoagie's father) is one that is so beautiful.

     We will miss you Hoagie, you helped us smile in the simplest and most beautiful of ways, and this world will not be able to replace what it lost when you departed, but we know you are truly in a happier place where love does not die. Your loving family misses you dearly, but they know that they will see you again. God be with you, dear brother, till we meet again!