death

I wanted to go to the funeral today.

On Tuesday afternoon, there was a car accident at my high school. The driver survived; the passenger died. Both were students.

I didn’t know the passenger and I only vaguely knew the driver. But I remember another car accident when I was a senior in high school: my classmate Crystal died and the driver survived. I remember how the whole school mourned. I knew my school was grieving, and I wanted to be there with them.

We couldn’t work out rides, so I wasn’t able to come home. Instead I went on with the weekend’s plans: pep band rehearsal and a B-movie on Friday, football game Saturday afternoon.

This morning (Saturday), part of Students for Life made the trip out to Ann Arbor to pray in front of a Planned Parenthood clinic. We met up with students from Ave Maria Law School, and we began a Rosary at 10 o’clock.

The funeral was at 10 o’clock this morning as well. Her teenage body was lying in a casket in St. Pius X Catholic Church in Flint, Mich., and I know the church was packed. It was when Crystal died.

And there I stood, holding a weathered posterboard sign with “Choose Life!” scrawled in black marker. Just 100 feet away was a house of death, where children are killed and never mourned.



May the angels welcome you to paradise.
May the martyrs greet you on your way.
May you see the face of the Lord this day.
Alleluia, alleluia.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

Originally published Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008 on Maple Footprints.