Richard's Birthday

Yesterday was Richard's birthday.  I thought a lot about him this weekend and his family.  I didn't say anything to Cameron about it.  I tried not to bring him up much this semester.  Transitioning to college was hard enough without having to be reminded about the most tragic thing that had happened in his life.  

Cameron asked me when he called this morning if I remembered what yesterday was.  I told him that I did and we had a honest conversation about Richard, especially the summer after he died.  We talked about how hard that time period really was and how difficult it was to move past Richard's death.  I listened to his thoughts on finishing senior year without him and how hard that was for his friend group.  Richard's sisters were part of our conversation as was his mother, Maria's, faith.  It was her faith that sometimes made it hard to attend church without thinking of Richard, something that both Cameron and I did often.

I told Cameron that I didn't post about Richard on social media, but if I did I would try to make others understand how incredibly hard it is to survive a traumatic incident.  The pain that the families and friends of those who die due to violence is unbearable.  The road to healing is incredibly long and for some never ends.  I would encourage others to step in if someone is hurting, has a gun, or threatens violence.  Mostly, I would ask everyone to just be kind.  

As Cameron and I still try to comprehend Richard's death, I think mostly about the Bible verse from John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  I realize that we may never know a bigger hero than Richard Rios.  On his birthday, instead of feeling sad, I must always remember that the greatest gift that Richard ever gave his mother, was the life of his sisters.