Today we crossed that finish line of the school year at my community college.  I'd written about anticipating the year's end last week, not ever imagining the week would be interrupted by the death of my student. 

Thanks for all of the support you gave me for my role performing his memorial service for him at the college yesterday.  Lots of faculty, staff, and friends showed up.  Our college president was there, too.

Then his whole family showed up--his mom and dad and his two sisters.  I got to know the family a little bit before I had to begin the service.  Mom and sisters were distraught, but dad seemed like he might want to participate, I thought, so I asked him if he would say a few words about his son, and he said yes.  I said that if at any time during the service he changed his mind he only had to signal me, and we'd go on to something else. 

But when the time came, he did want to speak, and it was very moving.  He and the whole family are people of strong faith who loved their departed very much.  After the service I thanked him and his whole family, saying how it meant a lot to our college community that they had given the family seal of approval to our endeavor to remember their son.  Just their presence alone validated us.

Their late son was a multimedia major at our college, so the folks in that department put together a really nice spliced video of highlights about him and by him.  The really touching thing was that it ended with a moment of video they found of him rolling himself out of his dorm room and turning out the light.  Almost as if he knew he was saying goodbye to us.  His family asked for a copy, it was so good.  I'm glad we could give them a remembrance of him as a reward for coming and validating our memorial service about him.

Now, classes are finally out today, we're across that finish line, and grading begins.  Thanks for all of the help getting through this week, y'all.