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Thinking Aloud
Thinking Aloud
Goodbye Rodz
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Just this morning, I received a text message. A friend of mine just died.

He was just in his mid-20's.

He apparently had an attack due to hypertension.

His name is Rodriner. I met him during a Civil Engineering Student's Conference a couple of years ago. His classmates were placed in the same hotel room I was in and so, we got to share a few stories together. He was an over-all friendly guy, and I saw the way he took care of his female classmates. He was like the dad of the group.

Anyway, we met again on the conferences that followed and of course, we treated each other as if we were old friends. During one of the conferences, I brought a cd which contained my favorite disco songs just in case the music wouldn't be dance-worthy during the fellowship night. He thought it was hilarious and even expressed his sympathy for me (in a joking manner) when the fellowship night turned out be a major bore with only dinner and a raffle draw. Our groups ended up satisfying our cravings for dance at a nearby disco and amidst the dance steps and the sweat, we all had a good time.

I didnt know it at first, but he was the president of his student chapter. He was also a nominee to the Most Outstanding Civil Engineering Student award and judging from his personality, I knew he had the makings of a good leader.

We weren't really close but the sadness I feel for his loss is unimaginable. I feel sad for the things that he has yet to do, for his family that never got to see him during his defining moments, and for his friends, classmates, and teachers who have shared small but memorable moments with him. It is hard to lose someone instantly and pain from that loss is more difficult to bear, if not impossible to ease.

This brings me to reflecting on my own life, to the opportunities that I let pass me by, to the words I leave unsaid, to the gestures I fail to acknowledge. Again, as much as a surprise Rodz death was to all of us, we cannot deny that the possibility of our own deaths cannot be predicted.

As Randy Pausch said, "We cannot choose the cards we are dealt, we can only choose how to play them." So I hope we all play our cards well. I pray for Rodz and I hope that his memory lives on in the hearts of the people he touched.

April 24, 2008 | 3:13 PM Comments  1 comments

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rsmarg Robert Margolis
April 29, 2008 | 2:26 PM
So sorry
My condolences on your loss. It is always hard to lose someone. May you find peace soon.
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