The Loss of a Friend

Have you ever had one of those days when a piece of news was both sad and happy.  I know it doesn’t seem like that can happen, but it happened today for me.  One of my fellow co-workers passed away this morning from complication with brain cancer.  He fought a strong battle for almost a year and a half.  But today, he crossed over.

In an article from our union’s daily news report, Eric Cooper our Director of Communications, included a brief note from my friends wife.  It is this note than brings about both sad and happy emotions.  Sad to know he is gone, but happy to know where he is.  Eric, include his thoughts along with a portion of Julie’s journal.

Even in the most difficult of moments, Rosh and his family put their hope and trust in God, finding comfort in prayer.  On one particularly difficult day, July 4, 2010, Julie wrote about one of the tender moments shared by their family.

“The other evening at bedtime my son came and got me and said that Dad was needing me, that he was trying to find something in the bible. He was in Hannah’s room, lying on her bed with her as I entered the room.

He could not say to me what it was he was trying to find, only that it was Gods instructions. I guessed the Ten Commandments, but that was not it. I thought of the beatitudes, but that was not it either. He grabbed the bible and was frantically trying to find it.

I finally guessed the Lord’s Prayer? He said, “YES!!” We then turned to the chapter of Matthew and I slowly read him the Lord’s Prayer. He tried to repeat after me, but the words were not coming out correctly at all. He asked that I read it again more slowly, and he tried again but still he had trouble.

He said that he was so afraid that he would not remember it and how important it was to him. I stressed to him that it was not important to God if he remembered it or not. God knows that you know it in your heart and that was all that mattered.

He then wanted me to look in the next chapter of Mark and read its version of the Lord’s Prayer. I could not find it in that chapter but I did find it in Luke and I read him that version as well. About that time, our daughter took her dry erase board and wrote out the Lord’s Prayer so that he could always see it.
It was a very sad moment but sweet and tender at the same time. I remember Rosh telling me that he always said the Lord’s Prayer each and every time he had his radiation treatments last year.”

Many of us have watched Rosh’s journey during the past 17 months.

Through the many stories and pictures the Jenkins family has graciously shared, we have all come to know, love and respect Rosh.

During his final days, we were all reminded to stop for a moment; we were all reminded to take a look at our own lives and reassess what is most important.

We were reminded that despite our own difficulties and challenges, at the end of the day, we have so much to be thankful for.

And now, in Rosh’s passing, we are all reminded how everything can change in the blink of an eye.   We will miss you, Rosh. Thank you for sharing your journey and your friendship.

Thank you Eric.

Rosh…Rest in Peace my friend.