I had the pleasure of speaking Wednesday at UK Remembers, a memorial service for all those that our community has lost this year.

Representatives for our alumni, faculty and staff as well as President Capilouto, gave heartfelt remarks.

I have often spoken about the Big Blue family, and the closeness that defines our community. So when a member of that family passes, it can be a deeply personal loss for all of us.

Part of the shock comes from what college is about. We come here to learn and to prepare for the rest of our lives.

Anything contrary to that seems foreign.

When something steals that future it can be jarring and difficult to reconcile.

What is most important is remembering that those who have passed are not gone.

Over and over again, those who spoke at UK Remembers emphasized the effects that those close to us have on us, even in death.

We remember how they made us feel and what they taught us. Every relationship we build becomes a part of us. The people we lose live on in our own promise of a better future.

When we experience loss, it reminds us how important the ties we have are. In good times and bad, it is important to work toward ever-stronger ties with those around us.

We should be ever thankful for these ties and relationships because they make the good times worth celebrating and the bad times worth overcoming.

When we come together as a community, we become much stronger than we are as individuals. The memories of those we have lost should not bring us sadness, but rather joy at the lives they lived and determination to live our lives in a way that would make them proud.

The overall message of the memorial was one of joy. We are so thankful for the friends, colleagues and mentors that this university has provided us.

Wednesday should not be the only day that you remember those who have passed; let us celebrate their lives daily by pushing ourselves and our community to be the best it can be.

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