Friend’s death prompts caring advice

To the editor:

Jeremy Ewing was someone I considered a friend for a long time. We went to high school together and shared many interests there.

Most of the people in our group of friends still live close by, and there are a few I still see almost daily. My best friend then (and now) was with me in Carrs the other day when we simultaneously saw the paper and realized that our friend was gone. As close as we all used to be, time seemed to drift all of us apart, although I would still see him from time to time.

I was concerned the last time I saw him; it seemed as though he was living in poor conditions, but he still smiled as always and we talked for over an hour about his music, martial arts and other subjects. Jeremy was always in a good mood, smiling and ready to join in whatever happened to be going on. I wish I could have seen some of the darker changes going on within him then. I will always wonder if there were something that I could have done then to make a difference.

Regardless of how you feel about the legalities surrounding his demise, use this moment to tell someone you care about who might be lonely or going through a difficult time just how much they mean to you. You never know when they might be gone forever. I know at our next high school reunion I will probably catch myself looking around the room for a face unseen, and for a moment in time that might have been different.

Jesse G. Smith

Palmer