For whom the bells continue to toll...

 

 

"No man is an Island, entire of it self; ... any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee."

John Donne
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions; Meditation XVII
1624

Last year about this time was my 45th high school class reunion. It was great seeing all the men and women I graduated with so long, long ago. Some are retired, some still work. Some are married, some widowed, some widowers, some never married and some remarried. Most have kids, and some have grand kids. It is a mixture of people who have traveled through life during the same time, but have taken different roads. It is decades upon decades of stories contained within those lives led, waiting to be told, waiting to be shared.
 

One of the very special parts of this reunion was two of my classmates spent countless hours researching and putting together a DVD which recognized classmates who have passed on. As much information as known was provided for each person. Besides recognizing all who have passed, special tribute was paid to the brave young men who as service members, traveled into harm's way and made the ultimate sacrifice.
 

My wife and I saw the DVD at an informal reunion gathering. I was speechless during most of it. To say that it was well done, does not do it justice. It was simply magnificent. It was not only a tribute, but also a work of art, dedicated to those who will never be able to see it.
 

For whom do the bells toll? They toll for dozens upon dozens of fine young people who left this world much, much too early. The bells toll for the young men who heeded a nation's call and went to a land far away to fight for something so special, it was worth giving all. It was for those who just one or two years out of high school, who had not yet tasted life, died defending freedom and liberty.

This past month, we lost two more classmates who left us way too early. We are reminded by their smiles, their spirits, their lives. They were here, and then they were gone. All we have left are the indelible memories which will never be forgotten.

 

 

Again, to quote John Donne, "any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind". With our classmates who have gone on before us, their passing has diminished us. They were not only our brothers and sisters, but also our friends. They were our companions who traveled with us through our most formative years. In short, they were us, and for them, for all of them, the bells still toll.