Dear Claire,

Life has a unique way of showing us

lessons we never imagined we needed.

Life’s lessons came to me in the form of your

Father’s funeral, which was

The First One for me.

While this fact alone made April 24

Significant in my mind, that’s just the

tip of the iceberg.

The most obvious lesson I learned

Is that life isn’t fair, not one bit;

However, there was something more, a whole

World of anguish underneath the surface.

I have never seen a person so destroyed

By an event, and your wretched sobs

Were the sounds that greeted me as I walked

Through the creaking doors of the church.

Your sobs rattled me because you and your brother

Are the same age as my brother and me

And it so could have easily been me in your place

And you in mine.

Life taught me that the Universe

doesn’t always make sense.

What force caused your father to die

and mine to see another day?

Maybe I’ll find an answer when this life

has passed, but maybe not.

The point of this letter is not to stir up

Unpleasant memories, scars of the past;

No, the point of this letter is to admire

How brave and loving you were even when

It must have felt like the world didn’t love

You at all. You attended class faithfully

And you held your head up high, and from you

Yourself I was able to learn that life will

Move on whether our loved ones are present

Or not, so we must continue with life

So as to not get swept away.

Thank you for showing me how to

Handle grief in the most gracious way

And for being kind and loving with all

Of your classmates even in the most

Trying times of your life. You are such

A strong person, and I hope you

Never forget.

Sincerely, C