4Ever a Bobcat

[I attended the funeral of one of my high school classmates this week. Afterwards, I wrote and shared the following post on my class’s FB page. Saving it here for posterity.]

David’s service on Wednesday was really nice. It was great seeing so many people honoring his memory and hearing tales about his life since high school. His work ethic, it seemed, was unmatched; he was dearly loved by family and friends; and he was always the life of the party.

Classic ‘88 Bobcat.

Although we had a few playdates in elementary school, I’m afraid I can’t say David and I were ever really friends. And the truth is, if I hadn’t been in Rexburg for other reasons this week, I never would’ve considered attending his funeral.

But The Fates did their thing and I inexplicably felt compelled to stand in a cold cemetery amongst strangers for an hour to mourn the loss of a man I only knew because we shared the same graduation day.   

It’s strange, isn’t it? The things that bonded us. Football games. Concerts. Proms. Dragging Main. A single and somewhat arbitrary date that we marched towards for the better part of 18 years.

In time, these things eventually mean nothing. And also everything.

After the funeral, I walked a few hundred feet to the southeast where another classmate and my best friend, Dalin Hunt, is buried. I knew him better than anyone else on this planet. When I first stood beside his grave in early 1994, I remember also feeling sad and cold and a little displaced. I didn’t understand, back then, that regardless of the disparate paths we’ve roamed, eventually we’ll all end up planted on common ground.

Today I’m thankful The Fates brought me back to Rexburg and granted me the chance to reflect on the time we spent together.

Friends or not, I hope all of you are well.