Five years ago, I was at a public high school.
It was a Tuesday.
I was volunteering at a faith based club on campus.
It was loud. It was chaotic. It was Valentine’s Day.

One of the students was lugging around a 5 ft teddy bear.
The teddy was so big he had to have his own chair.
He ended up perched in a wheelchair, a visual reminder of love and harm, a true metaphor for love in a high school.

Then the text flashed across my screen.
”Mark is with Jesus,” it read.
No explanation, no context, no cushion.
I couldn’t make sense of it.

I was also sitting with dozens of teens, chatting about the inane.
All eyes on me. Death notice on Valentine’s Day via text.

My friend was gone. He had been redeemed and was being redeemed, but the redemption was not yet complete…at least according to my valuation.
He was gone. On Valentine’s Day.
Mark was hugs and puppy dogs, witty and unexpected, sweet and worldly-wise.

The teddy in the wheelchair.
That really about sums up how absurd and painful the day was.