In life, nothing is guaranteed.
The staff of The Reflector was reminded of that this week with the death of our online editor, Adam Kazery. He was a fellow student and co-worker, but more importantly, he was our dear friend.
Always welcoming, kind and friendly, Adam meant so much to each of us in innumerable ways. Although he’s gone, his many, many talents and wonderful sense of humor that brightened countless days at the paper will always be with us.
Loss is never easy. And while heartbreaking, the loss of our friend has brought us together, just as it has for many before. And with this, we’ve relearned the value of those in our everyday life.
Many of the relationships we form and the memories we make here in college will last forever. The friendships we make may be some of the most important, deepest and most meaningful of our lives.
But as students, we see those around us full of life and in the primes of their lives, and sometimes we forget: nothing is guaranteed.
Almost every semester, Mississippi State University feels loss and we’re reminded.
In many ways our campus remains a close community and every time there is a loss, an outpouring of love and support emerges from the school and its people.
Through the years, countless families, friends and extended families have been touched by tragedy and regardless of whom, when or how, we’re reminded not to take for granted each person around us.
While the loss of Adam has brought us together through our shared friendship with him and our memories, it also reminds us never fail to go out of our way to share that togetherness with others and to encourage more to do the same.
Too often, we fail to recognize those people who affect our lives daily. Often it’s too late to say things we’ve always felt and known about those we love.
Telling someone how much they mean to you can be difficult, sometimes extremely so, but a few kind words can make an enormous difference. All too often, a single kind word or gesture could mean the world to somebody.
Although many others have lost some of those around them too, we hope those losses and our loss of Adam can lead to a little more good in the world. In the time we knew him, he shared many wonderful things with us, but in death he taught us one more: Never pass up the opportunity to say how you feel; never miss the chance to tell the people around you that you love them – that love is guaranteed.
The Reflector editorial board is made up of opinion editor Harry Nelson, news editor April Windham, assistant news editor Julia Pendley, sports editor Bob Carskadon, entertainment editor Hannah Rogers, photo editor Ariel Nachtigal, copy editors Amy Addington and David Breland, graphic designer Carl Carbonell, managing editor Aubra Whitten and editor in chief Kyle Wrather.