Kobe Bryant, Grief, and Community

Kobe Bryant

News outlets and social media feeds are full of pain today over the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant and the eight others who died yesterday morning.

We are signaling our pain, our awareness of loss, through quotes and photos.

In this signaling, we are reaching out, asking for company and consolation.  iPhones and computer screens are the portal through which we are seeking community. 

And community is incredibly important during times of loss.  We yearn to know that we are not alone, that there are others that share our sadness over the sudden loss of a titan. 

As you ponder the death of Kobe and eight others, I invite you to consider those that are hurting and reeling in your own sphere of influence.  Who do you know that has lost a relationship, a person, or a dream?  Although that person (most likely) never played in the NBA or won an Olympic medal, he or she is also in pain, craving to know they are not alone. 

Take time to reach out:  a call, a text, a kind word.  You don’t have to have all the answers, just take time to say, “I see that you are hurting and I care about you.”