Email and Poem
I want to note that this is the email I sent to my friends right after the memorial. I feel like posting the email because it explains how I felt about "TV's" death and about the memorial. It is written in a Christian's perspective. I hope you guys understand this. It has been edited a little, but only details and names.
I have decided to give "TV's" real name in this. I don't know if I should or not, so I might edit it later, but I feel like I at least owe him his name. I made up his last name though for protection propouses.
You all know, I started 7th grade at an amazing school. I have met so many amazing people, including great teachers and friendly classmates. But a tragedy has accured.
Saturday mid-morning, I logged onto facebook.com out of complete boredom. Now, if you don't have a facebook (sure most of you do, since it's the "hottest" thing right now, next to Twilight), there's this thing were you can write a "status" on how you're feeling. Well, one of my friends - a high schooler and older brother to a classmate and friend of mine - had a status that read this:
"Just found out Matt Jones died."
Someone had commetted, saying, "Yeah, I just found out an hour ago."
My first thought was denial. What? A classmate of mine, a friend of mine, someone who made me laugh and had fun with is dead?
I thought it could have been a cruel joke. But no more than 5 minutes later, my dad walked into the house (he and my mother were over at the church, doing work). He told me he wanted me to come over to the church, and the thing I saw on facebook raced through my mind while I walked over there.
And it was there that they told me. Mathew "Matt" Evan Jones had died in a dirt bike accident. (I learned today the full story) I cried with my parents.
Facebook became a place of grieving. All my classmates who had a facebook were commenting for everyone, someone even made him a little "Prayer" group.
This morning, I went to school. We were going to have a memorial service for him. I walked into the halls and everyone was crying and hugging each other. We spent more than 20 minutes in the halls, just crying and holding everyone. Us 7th graders were so emotional.
We went into the "cafetorium" (half cafiteria, half autotorium XD) and sat. I sat beside my friend Miranda and her mother. I looked up at the screen and saw Matt's smiling face and began to bawl. I remember laughing, saying, "It hasn't even started and I'm already crying!"
I had finally managed to control my tears, when I looked over to see Matt's mother, Mrs. Jones, cry, "That's my baby!" When she saw Matt's face on the scrteen. People came around and hugged her. I began to cry again.
It started with our school director, Mr. John Z., first talked to us about the steps of grieving. I was shocked at how dead on he was for me alone. After he finished, people came up to the stage and talked about Matt. Mrs. Osborn, the 6th grade teacher, shared how he had excepted Christ last year, and many others shared how he had changed their lives. There were even people who didn't know Matt all too well who came up and said even walking by his locker, seeing him smile, had cheered them all up.
When people had finished sharing about Matt, we watched a video of all his pictures. They were from his first picture being born to his 12th birthday (next Sunday he would have been 13). I was in tears. I thought I wasn't able to cry any more, and yet I bawled too hard. I'm pretty sure everyone did.
Someone played Amazing Grace on bagpipes, and then we closed in prayer. It was so sad, and yet, in a way, it was good. They gave us a few minutes to use the restroom, get drinks, or stretch if we wanted. But basically, we all just hugged everyone. I hugged people I never thought I would hug and I cried with so many people. And yet, 10 minutes after that, we were all laughing. It sounds bad, but yet, I found it happy. Matt was a kind of guy where he made you laugh. You wanted to laugh for him.
We then went to our English/Bible teacher's room, us 7th graders, and for an hour and a half we just shared happy memories about Matt. it was a lot of fun. And some how we got on with the rest of our day.
Some people had put on wraping paper on his locker, and kept his things inside. We could write things on the wraping paper. It was so amazing.
So why am I telling you this? Because...I don't really know why. This was a hard time, for all of us. Matt's parents. Matt's family. Matt's class. Matt's friends. Everyone who ever knew Matt!
We need prayer right now. I know it was hard on me. I had never lost anyone like this before - I really hadn't ever lost anyone ever! (Only my great grandmother, which made sense, and my uncle I never even met). And it's hard on me. I just ask for prayer, not just for me, but for Matt's family and other classmates and our school.
You guys didn't even know Matt. But you know me. So please. Just lift your hands out in prayer. it's going to be a hard week.
Your Sister in Christ,
Justine A.
This is a poem written by a classmate of mine. I don't know if he wants me to give his name, but I did ask if I could post this and he agreed. It is again a Christian perspective, but this has given me hope.
Sometimes it's hard to know what is going to lie ahead
The only thing to do is simply kneel beside your bed
The answers that we need to know are not known to men
But the thing we need to know is that we will see him again
The Lord is my only comfort, my rock and shield
He is the only way our pain may be heeled
In these times we want to hide and in our own world, to cry
But at this time I must do something, and that is say goodbye
As I read my Bible and pray over and over again
I cannot help but think that we will see him again
I know many times I will think of him and I will miss him great
I also know that the Lord has a purpose, it isn't simply fate
I'm glad to know that just last year the Lord came into his heart
And now in heaven he is enjoying at life, a brand new start
So once you've prayed and said amen
Know that WE WILL SEE HIM AGAIN
These are also the steps to become a Christian written by him as well:
If you do not know if you will spent eternity in heaven please consider these steps
1.Admit that you are a sinner
Romans 3:23
2.Know that Jesus died for your sins
John 3:16
3.Repent of your sins
Luke 13:3
4.Ask God to save you
Romans 10:13
5.Confess before men and be baptized
Romans 10:9-10
If you have not accepted Christ will you accept Him now?
-----
I'm going to the funeral tomorrow. I'm really nervous, since I've never been to one before, but I feel right about this. I'll probably cry. A lot. (:
I have decided to give "TV's" real name in this. I don't know if I should or not, so I might edit it later, but I feel like I at least owe him his name. I made up his last name though for protection propouses.
You all know, I started 7th grade at an amazing school. I have met so many amazing people, including great teachers and friendly classmates. But a tragedy has accured.
Saturday mid-morning, I logged onto facebook.com out of complete boredom. Now, if you don't have a facebook (sure most of you do, since it's the "hottest" thing right now, next to Twilight), there's this thing were you can write a "status" on how you're feeling. Well, one of my friends - a high schooler and older brother to a classmate and friend of mine - had a status that read this:
"Just found out Matt Jones died."
Someone had commetted, saying, "Yeah, I just found out an hour ago."
My first thought was denial. What? A classmate of mine, a friend of mine, someone who made me laugh and had fun with is dead?
I thought it could have been a cruel joke. But no more than 5 minutes later, my dad walked into the house (he and my mother were over at the church, doing work). He told me he wanted me to come over to the church, and the thing I saw on facebook raced through my mind while I walked over there.
And it was there that they told me. Mathew "Matt" Evan Jones had died in a dirt bike accident. (I learned today the full story) I cried with my parents.
Facebook became a place of grieving. All my classmates who had a facebook were commenting for everyone, someone even made him a little "Prayer" group.
This morning, I went to school. We were going to have a memorial service for him. I walked into the halls and everyone was crying and hugging each other. We spent more than 20 minutes in the halls, just crying and holding everyone. Us 7th graders were so emotional.
We went into the "cafetorium" (half cafiteria, half autotorium XD) and sat. I sat beside my friend Miranda and her mother. I looked up at the screen and saw Matt's smiling face and began to bawl. I remember laughing, saying, "It hasn't even started and I'm already crying!"
I had finally managed to control my tears, when I looked over to see Matt's mother, Mrs. Jones, cry, "That's my baby!" When she saw Matt's face on the scrteen. People came around and hugged her. I began to cry again.
It started with our school director, Mr. John Z., first talked to us about the steps of grieving. I was shocked at how dead on he was for me alone. After he finished, people came up to the stage and talked about Matt. Mrs. Osborn, the 6th grade teacher, shared how he had excepted Christ last year, and many others shared how he had changed their lives. There were even people who didn't know Matt all too well who came up and said even walking by his locker, seeing him smile, had cheered them all up.
When people had finished sharing about Matt, we watched a video of all his pictures. They were from his first picture being born to his 12th birthday (next Sunday he would have been 13). I was in tears. I thought I wasn't able to cry any more, and yet I bawled too hard. I'm pretty sure everyone did.
Someone played Amazing Grace on bagpipes, and then we closed in prayer. It was so sad, and yet, in a way, it was good. They gave us a few minutes to use the restroom, get drinks, or stretch if we wanted. But basically, we all just hugged everyone. I hugged people I never thought I would hug and I cried with so many people. And yet, 10 minutes after that, we were all laughing. It sounds bad, but yet, I found it happy. Matt was a kind of guy where he made you laugh. You wanted to laugh for him.
We then went to our English/Bible teacher's room, us 7th graders, and for an hour and a half we just shared happy memories about Matt. it was a lot of fun. And some how we got on with the rest of our day.
Some people had put on wraping paper on his locker, and kept his things inside. We could write things on the wraping paper. It was so amazing.
So why am I telling you this? Because...I don't really know why. This was a hard time, for all of us. Matt's parents. Matt's family. Matt's class. Matt's friends. Everyone who ever knew Matt!
We need prayer right now. I know it was hard on me. I had never lost anyone like this before - I really hadn't ever lost anyone ever! (Only my great grandmother, which made sense, and my uncle I never even met). And it's hard on me. I just ask for prayer, not just for me, but for Matt's family and other classmates and our school.
You guys didn't even know Matt. But you know me. So please. Just lift your hands out in prayer. it's going to be a hard week.
Your Sister in Christ,
Justine A.
This is a poem written by a classmate of mine. I don't know if he wants me to give his name, but I did ask if I could post this and he agreed. It is again a Christian perspective, but this has given me hope.
Sometimes it's hard to know what is going to lie ahead
The only thing to do is simply kneel beside your bed
The answers that we need to know are not known to men
But the thing we need to know is that we will see him again
The Lord is my only comfort, my rock and shield
He is the only way our pain may be heeled
In these times we want to hide and in our own world, to cry
But at this time I must do something, and that is say goodbye
As I read my Bible and pray over and over again
I cannot help but think that we will see him again
I know many times I will think of him and I will miss him great
I also know that the Lord has a purpose, it isn't simply fate
I'm glad to know that just last year the Lord came into his heart
And now in heaven he is enjoying at life, a brand new start
So once you've prayed and said amen
Know that WE WILL SEE HIM AGAIN
These are also the steps to become a Christian written by him as well:
If you do not know if you will spent eternity in heaven please consider these steps
1.Admit that you are a sinner
Romans 3:23
2.Know that Jesus died for your sins
John 3:16
3.Repent of your sins
Luke 13:3
4.Ask God to save you
Romans 10:13
5.Confess before men and be baptized
Romans 10:9-10
If you have not accepted Christ will you accept Him now?
-----
I'm going to the funeral tomorrow. I'm really nervous, since I've never been to one before, but I feel right about this. I'll probably cry. A lot. (: