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Daniel Cupit died today.
Daniel Cupit died today.
Those words won't stop echoing through my head. I can't think of anything else to type. But I'll try.
Here's what happened.
Daniel was a really good friend to me. He was my brother in Christ. Is still, I guess. We were in the same small group. (My church has what we call a small-group based ministry; people in similar walks of life meet weekly to talk, have fun and study the Bible. I'm in the senior guys small group. I've been in it since 8th grade, it's been together since 6th.)
Once at Student Life camp, more than a year ago, I was asked to tell the group something I appreciate about Daniel. (We were each given one other person to compliment.) I said what immediately came to mind: Dan is a very loving person. I don't know if you know what I mean by that. It was the way he talked to you; you could see it in his eyes. He deeply cared for you, yes, you. Not mamby-pamby loving-caring; it was fierce and passionate, like his faith. He was passionate in all he did.
People in my youth group hug a lot. It's what we do; it's part of how we communicate. So don't be weirded out when I say I really enjoyed hugging Dan. The first thing that hit me when I got the news was that I wouldn't be able to hug him for the rest of my life. Oh gosh, I still tear up at the thought.
Daniel touched a lot of people's lives. He loved well and was well-loved back. Only six hours after his death, a prayer gathering at the church was scheduled, and over 400 expected to attend. I'm not sure how many attended, but our sanctuary was full. And we have a big sanctuary. Nine out of ten were high schoolers. Mostly from Northwest, some from Grimsley, Page, Western. A lot of Young Lifers. Over 400 people. That's how awesome Dan was.
Dan and Adelaide were approaching their first anniversary. He had bought her a pair of sapphire earrings that he was really proud of. I'll admit, when I heard Dan and Adelaide were going out, I was a bit skeptical, because Adelaide is LB's age. But they really cherished each other. They were a great couple.
Then there's the Cupit family. Daniel was a triplet. His two brothers, Kyle and Aubrey are/were also in our small group. Aubrey has been coming every week. Kyle stopped coming a few years ago, though he would have been / is welcome any time. I can't imagine being Kyle or Aubs right now. My heart goes out to them. They have an older brother, Josh, who graduated from college some time ago. I don't know much about him. Their family, if they haven't been going through times in the past, they sure are now.
You couldn't say anything to Dan that would be met with an awkward pause. He was totally comfortable talking about anything. Or if he didn't wan't to talk about it, he'd be comfortable telling you.
I deleted Daniel's number from my cell phone. I don't know why. Or why not, for that matter.
It's amazing how much can happen in a day. The last twelve hours have been a blur. I missed Japanese to spend the day with the small group. We went to Chris's house and ate some pizza and thought about crying. We did cry later, at the prayer gathering. A lot. I almost want someone to tell me not to cry so that I can tell them off on how crying is respectable. It's how I know I was close to Dan.
Both Fox 8 and News 2 showed up at the church to cover the gathering. Both interviewed members in our small group. I might be on Channel 2 at 11. Or maybe tomorrow morning. I'm not sure if I care.
Post-crying dopamines set in and we chilled at Chris's house some more and now I'm at home.
So why did you read this? It was a long post. I'll tell you why, in case you're wondering.
1. You're my friend. You care about what's going on in my life.
2. You've caught a glimpse of my church life, which is unfortunately separated from my school life. There are no intersections between the two social groups, so I never talk about my school friends with my church friends and never talk about my church friends with my school friends. The church folks don't read my live journal, so I never talk about them here.
3. I don't want to have to erase your number from my cell phone, too. Wear a seat belt. I'm not saying Dan would be alive now if he'd worn a seat belt, but gosh. I'll show no mercy now as a seat belt nazi.
Here are some pictures of Dan.
That's Dan with the lollipop. Adelaide is next to him.
Dan again. He's the guy who looks like he just threw something.
Dan and some of our small group. That's Aubrey, next to me on the end. (Not the one flexing; that's Chris.)
Dan (black shirt) and some random church people.
Aubrey, one of Daniel's brothers, throwing something.
Adelaide, with Dan in the background.
These are all from Student Life Camp last summer.
Thank You, God, he lives forever. Thank You, God, he is at peace. Thank You, God, he has an eternal life that can never be taken away from him.
Daniel Cupit died today.
Those words won't stop echoing through my head. I can't think of anything else to type. But I'll try.
Here's what happened.
Daniel was a really good friend to me. He was my brother in Christ. Is still, I guess. We were in the same small group. (My church has what we call a small-group based ministry; people in similar walks of life meet weekly to talk, have fun and study the Bible. I'm in the senior guys small group. I've been in it since 8th grade, it's been together since 6th.)
Once at Student Life camp, more than a year ago, I was asked to tell the group something I appreciate about Daniel. (We were each given one other person to compliment.) I said what immediately came to mind: Dan is a very loving person. I don't know if you know what I mean by that. It was the way he talked to you; you could see it in his eyes. He deeply cared for you, yes, you. Not mamby-pamby loving-caring; it was fierce and passionate, like his faith. He was passionate in all he did.
People in my youth group hug a lot. It's what we do; it's part of how we communicate. So don't be weirded out when I say I really enjoyed hugging Dan. The first thing that hit me when I got the news was that I wouldn't be able to hug him for the rest of my life. Oh gosh, I still tear up at the thought.
Daniel touched a lot of people's lives. He loved well and was well-loved back. Only six hours after his death, a prayer gathering at the church was scheduled, and over 400 expected to attend. I'm not sure how many attended, but our sanctuary was full. And we have a big sanctuary. Nine out of ten were high schoolers. Mostly from Northwest, some from Grimsley, Page, Western. A lot of Young Lifers. Over 400 people. That's how awesome Dan was.
Dan and Adelaide were approaching their first anniversary. He had bought her a pair of sapphire earrings that he was really proud of. I'll admit, when I heard Dan and Adelaide were going out, I was a bit skeptical, because Adelaide is LB's age. But they really cherished each other. They were a great couple.
Then there's the Cupit family. Daniel was a triplet. His two brothers, Kyle and Aubrey are/were also in our small group. Aubrey has been coming every week. Kyle stopped coming a few years ago, though he would have been / is welcome any time. I can't imagine being Kyle or Aubs right now. My heart goes out to them. They have an older brother, Josh, who graduated from college some time ago. I don't know much about him. Their family, if they haven't been going through times in the past, they sure are now.
You couldn't say anything to Dan that would be met with an awkward pause. He was totally comfortable talking about anything. Or if he didn't wan't to talk about it, he'd be comfortable telling you.
I deleted Daniel's number from my cell phone. I don't know why. Or why not, for that matter.
It's amazing how much can happen in a day. The last twelve hours have been a blur. I missed Japanese to spend the day with the small group. We went to Chris's house and ate some pizza and thought about crying. We did cry later, at the prayer gathering. A lot. I almost want someone to tell me not to cry so that I can tell them off on how crying is respectable. It's how I know I was close to Dan.
Both Fox 8 and News 2 showed up at the church to cover the gathering. Both interviewed members in our small group. I might be on Channel 2 at 11. Or maybe tomorrow morning. I'm not sure if I care.
Post-crying dopamines set in and we chilled at Chris's house some more and now I'm at home.
So why did you read this? It was a long post. I'll tell you why, in case you're wondering.
1. You're my friend. You care about what's going on in my life.
2. You've caught a glimpse of my church life, which is unfortunately separated from my school life. There are no intersections between the two social groups, so I never talk about my school friends with my church friends and never talk about my church friends with my school friends. The church folks don't read my live journal, so I never talk about them here.
3. I don't want to have to erase your number from my cell phone, too. Wear a seat belt. I'm not saying Dan would be alive now if he'd worn a seat belt, but gosh. I'll show no mercy now as a seat belt nazi.
Here are some pictures of Dan.
That's Dan with the lollipop. Adelaide is next to him.
Dan again. He's the guy who looks like he just threw something.
Dan and some of our small group. That's Aubrey, next to me on the end. (Not the one flexing; that's Chris.)
Dan (black shirt) and some random church people.
Aubrey, one of Daniel's brothers, throwing something.
Adelaide, with Dan in the background.
These are all from Student Life Camp last summer.
Thank You, God, he lives forever. Thank You, God, he is at peace. Thank You, God, he has an eternal life that can never be taken away from him.