A sad story to write

As I mentioned in the previous post, yesterday turned out to be a rough day.
I had just finished writing a feature about a well-liked pastor who is retiring when my boss e-mailed me a wire story about a local teen-ager who had drowned.
I had met this talented young man when he was in seventh grade when I wrote a feature about him and his older brother and sister. All three were accomplished jazz musicians at a very young age. They performed professionally at a variety of venues.

They are a delightful family.

He had just completed his freshman year at Cornell. He was attending a summer session there and drowned while swimming in the Ithaca Gorge with friends. He was only 18.

I reached one of his jazz teachers and broke the news to him. He was devastated and I felt terrible being the bearer of bad news. He was a lovely man and gave me some heartfelt comments to add to the story.
The story is on page one of today's paper.

In his high school yearbook this young man used a quote attributed to performer Eddie Griffin. I put it in the story because I thought it would give people a glimpse into this teen-ager's character.

"Brothas, we walk with rhythm. Everything we do is to a heart beat."

I'm sad to have had to write a story about a young person with such talent and promise who is now gone. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.