RIP, Smart Kid

Words are hard to come by right now as we just learned of the passing of one of our long-time Flying Colors Faithful.

This was a kid I watched grow up. A smart kid who loved his comics and was a very thoughtful, intelligent young man. Polite, a little quiet, but always one of the good guys. We hadn't seen him for a few months, but that doesn't stop us remembering him.

Years ago, we nick-named him "Smart Kid" because we knew he was very smart, but also partly because he didn't flaunt it. The intelligent ones don't have to remind you with words how brilliant they are. They give you hints of the depths of their intelligence with a knowing look and just a few well-placed words.

When difficult things like this happen, when everyone asks if they could have done something they didn't do when he was here, it's best to do a couple of things. First, remember not his passing, but remember his life.

Second, love and forgive one another with everything you've got. We all have our weaknesses and so many things conspire to divide us, but we're all connected by our humanity. Let's live that while we honor the memory of those who have left us too soon.

RIP, Smart Kid.

--- FlyCoJoe and the rest of your friends on the Flying Colors Retailing Brigade