WORDS AGAIN

The words which follow are not mine. We have been writing all the ideas that are found within, but we have run up against the disbelief that one child could have been so special, so capable of mixing all areas, meshing them together into an outstanding, unusual pure soul and little boy and young man at one and the same time.

These are the words of a friend of Yitzy's father, my son, and ring loud and clear. The loss of Yitzy, his golden presence, is a loss not only to his immediate family and their circle of friends and family at large, but to the world, all the wonderful ideas and role modeling he could have provided. G-d had other ideas, inexplicable to us, very much so, but here is a bit of what Yitzy was and always will be.

I beg pardon of the writer for using his words without asking him, but I will not publish his name. It is all for the sake of shamayim, that we understand the loss, the deep wound left behind.

 "I was trying to find the words when I was at the house the other day, but they just wouldn't come to me. I don't know if anything I can say will help you in this time, but there were just a few thoughts I had I wanted to express. 

I didn't know Yitzy that well. Before all this, he was my friend's son, who was a sweet boy who was about 27 years younger than me. A few years ago, your father told me he was a better baseball player than Yehuda, but I didn't believe it. That was really all I knew. Over the last year plus, I heard all kinds of stories about him, and I started having trouble with them. They seem to describe different people. The superstar ballplayer is never the same person as the birdwatchers, the sweet kind boy, who was both a serious learner as well as being funny and mischievous at times. These are three different people. The same guy who was friends with his nurses, and his Rebbeim, the cool kids and the awkward kids. They all loved him because he loved them and he was so genuinely comfortable with himself, that he didn't have to pretend to be in anything or anyone else the way that most of us do. That's both a testament to him, and to you and your wife in how you raised him. I can't tell you I spent so much time with him, I obviously did not. But hearing from everyone who did how much he inspired them blows me away. And it they aren't just saying it, they are all telling stories and citing examples of what he did or said. The example he set, and the inspiration he provided is real, and will not be forgotten. 

The last thought I had was about you and your family. Throughout this long saga, you guys have been an inspiration. Calm and quiet, strong and dignified, you your wife and your children are role models in how to deal with unbelievable challenges and adversity with faith and steadfastness. 

Hashem should bring you comfort, and if there is anything at all I can do to help in any way, please just ask."

Words can in fact, say much.

Rest in peace, my Yitzy. 

Yitzchok Elimelech, we miss you so.