A Moment of Silence.

Have you ever dealt with death?

Even if it was death covering a person you never knew. Have you ever dealt with it?

I think death itself is what motivates alot of humanity's fears, even motivates the everyday decisions we make.

I came up with this theory as a younger girl and still believe it to this day.

But I've never actually felt the emptiness of knowing someone, someone in your actual everday enviroment; even if not in your presence but in your community, is dead. They're not gone, they're still alive in a spiritual sense; but they are dead physically.

Rereading that last statement over stills my heart...

I approach this topic because of a girl named Yla who attended Chino Hills High. She was very involved in choir and brought smiles and warmth to everyone around her.

She passed away May 10, 2010 due to an allergic reaction to peanut butter.

Rest in peace, Yla-- you were loved by many and will continue to be loved by many. You've warmed many people's hearts and will be in a huge amount of people's prayers.

Yla made me think about it. I don't even know this girl- I've never even talked to her- and I still feel this compassion and thick sympathy. Although I will never ever EVER be able to even FATHOM the pain her family and friends must be going through, a empty quiet feeling sit on my heart. One that at the same time is silenced because Yla deserves a moment of silence, and a silence because I truly don't know what else to say- my mind is struggling to function at the thought of death actually happening.

Thousands, Millions, Billions of people die each day. But one death of one life and cause such enormous impacts on thousands of others lives, as shown in Yla's life. Continous statuses of "Yla, you warmed the earth with your smile" and "Yla, you're amazing and will be missed" flood my facebook homepage, and it makes me think: death is probably one of the things the human mind knows the least about. Death is probably one of the things humans can handle or grip or fathom the least, too.

Yla, thank you for singing in the CHHS choir, thank you for bringing so many smiles and so much happiness, thank you for being you. I don't know you but you're already impacting me.

Rest in Peace Yla Aquino, May 10th, 2010