Loved by those who knew him

Over the past two years there have been many of us who have dealt with tragedy and loss due to the pandemic. I have been thinking lately about my uncle Franklin gone too soon. Some have shared their losses openly with those around us; some have shared their stories of loss with their friends and their coworkers; and some have kept their situations private and coped with it on their own.  Regardless of how we have dealt with it, most all of us have had to go through the loss of loved ones and dealt with tragedy in our life, and with the death of a prominent Senator, Orrin Hatch, it certainly brings those losses to the front of our minds with great soberness. He is one that helped me find solutions to taught immigration cases when I served as the Honorary Consul of El Salvador in Utah. 

 

But today I was most grateful for the reminder of the importance of a community – it was a reminder that we should all reach out to those around us who may be struggling with loss or hard times in their lives.  Senator Hatch was known to help the community around him. We live or should live in a community that has the ability to support one another, to comfort one another, to lift one another up and help each other on our way.  We have the ability to truly touch one another’s lives for the better here.  We should never let that opportunity pass us by.  We should remember to look out for one another.  We should be caring citizens in our communities that we are blessed to be a part of and Senator Hatch was an example of a caring citizen who went over and beyond the call of duty. 

 

When my uncle died, I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support that people showed our family.  The kind words, the poems, the smiles, the hugs, and people’s willingness to let the family deal with our feelings when his death was announced and the comments of support that followed from so many.  I cannot even describe how much that support meant to me and my family at that time.  I had never dealt with any kind of loss at that level since my father passed away almost two decades ago. I can honestly say that the people that supported our family made a huge impact in my ability to go forward and do the same for someone who is grieving. 

 

We live in a community of great people who showed kindness toward us. So, I know the power that exists amongst the people in our communities at work or in our neighborhoods or in our religious groups no matter our political views. It’s sad when some can’t see past their own political agendas and only criticize what the diseased did do or not do. We will all experience death someday. There is power when a community bands together to watch out for each other.  It is something we all need to remember to do for each other.

 

All of us can impact one another’s lives for the better.  All of us can leave a legacy of love to everyone who ever steps into our community.  That community should include everyone from family, to neighbors, to coworkers, to clients, to vendors, and anyone else our paths cross throughout our day.  Let’s all commit to be there to support one another as best we can through loving words, smiles, encouragement, nice hand written notes, small gestures, whatever we can do to help each other get through the hard times in our lives and the death of a loved one tops them all. 

 

R.I.P. Senator Hatch! 

 

Con amor,

Veronica