On November 16th of last year, the world was robbed of a pure, innocent soul. Beyond being a student, Josh Church was a teammate, a friend, a brother, and a son. He touched so many lives during his time here and he is missed each and every day. He was taken too soon, his entire future coming to an abrupt halt without any warning. All the promises of what could have been, all the promises of what awaited in the future, were ripped away from him. It was unfair, heart-breaking, and overwhelming.

At first, I didn’t believe it. I didn’t believe that the boy that we had all grown up with could be gone so easily. It just didn’t make any sense, I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. It was if simply he was there one moment, and gone the next. As if death could be that simple. As if that’s all his death meant. At first, that’s how it felt; it felt surreal, as if something like this couldn’t happen to someone like him. But then in the moment of realization, it felt as if a boulder had just fell to the bottom of my stomach. I began to understand. He was gone. For good.

It’s difficult to think about it still, to really come to terms with the truth. I’m still expecting to see him around school, and then it hits me. He’s gone. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully understand it. None of us will. Maybe we don’t want to understand it. Maybe it’s better for us all not to analyze it too deeply. We couldn’t keep him alive in body, but now we want to keep him alive in spirit. That’s what we must do now. We must remember him for what he gave and for what he accomplished. We must live our lives everyday in memory of him and the legacy he left behind. We must keep his smile and laughter present in times of hardship and pain. With that, he will never be gone. We may not be able to see him anymore, but his memory will live on in us.

I believe he came to teach us all a lesson. This lesson may be different for each person he touched, but that’s the beauty of the impact he had on others. I also believe that this lesson could only be understood from Josh’s death. That’s a horrible thing to say, I know; I believe his death had a purpose. He was so sure in his faith, that he wasn’t afraid.

His death wasn’t meaningless. It was a reminder that our time here is not guaranteed and that we must live every day as if it were our last. That’s we must do because we never know which day will be our last.  Josh was taken too soon, and the memory of him will be timeless, forever enduring onward.

We love you and miss you, Josh. For now we must go on in this world without you, but we know that one day we will be together once again.