Joining in Prayers for the Family of a Wonderful Professional Diver Steven W. , Details Not Clear

At this time there is news coverage about the untimely passing of a young man from our small town of Falls Village CT passing in strong water near a hydaulic power plant in Vermont. This kind of tragedy hits very close to home for me and the news will likely remind people all too well of the seriousness of a turn of events a decade ago when a group of youths had met with trouble in whitewater near the Falls in the village named for them (the only one in the country it turns out.)

Likely every area has its stories from over the years, particularly if there is a dangerous area for swimming whether due to depth, fast water, rocks nearby or other 'more innocent situations' of someone not being able to swim or being intoxicated, or driving into water (I've heard an array of situations since our teen son passed ten years ago during that mid-June tragic turn of events of a few kids getting caught in a current and our son Kaelan seeking to aid each one in turn.

While he helped the first two successfully from land, the third he went into get and lost his life in the process. He may have helped and yet thankfully a volunteer rope rescue secured that third youth. Kaelan's service is on youtube.com and perhaps seeing some of that if feeling moved by this most recent passing can bring some perspective to the sense of how a loss of this kind, for whatever reason, shakes and moves a community on many levels, both near and far and over time.

I realize Kaelan may have played some sports with this young man who died as he was doing some work underwater as a professional diver. Thankfully the precautions of a rope secured on him were in place so that he was brought up but unfortunately not soon enough to save him. What went wrong is not clear but the news coverage shared that the water was three times higher than usual.

I can't help but wonder what the standards for doing that kind of work are and who sets them. I knew of some people travelling far across the world to film a documentary while doing some very serious whitewater boating.

They were not supposed to go if the river were over a certain level..yet they ventured a section...and for whatever reason, one boater did not make it. That led to others searching longer and harder than they had planned and taxed their health seriously. Those kinds of stories become a reminder of the kinds of tremendous risks some people 'plan to take' and yet with no guarantees...

This very tragic current situation is just beginning to 'be real' for his family and our communities..and it will take a long time to feel any of it 'makes some kind of sense' or holds meaning for what we can do to prevent this kind of 'accident' from happening in the future.

My heart and mind will likely link this man and Kaelan along with a few others in his circles who have crossed over as a team on the other side..and a complex mystery... mostly showing us the spiritual side of living among youth since that's the main time we've had them in our lives. 

I looked up Afterlife 101: What Happens After Death...and found there were many ideas shared about how there is a peaceful transition with guides and loved ones who have crossed over, and a time of life review, becoming more aware and spiritual rather than 'connected only with the physical or even social ties of our human families and friends.'

I have been listening to some ideas also of Whitley Strieber whose written 40 books on many aspects of being 'energy or spiritual beings'.. I really hope to hear a lot more, but felt overall the sense of 'consciousness going on beyond death' is a comforting notion (though some have told me they feel a lifetime is plenty 'thank you very much.' )

We will each see as one of my professors from Vassar shared candidly and which more realize may be 'the only way to know.' There are plenty of important aspects of these things to consider, which I have done a fair amount of on this blog...but again, tonight is for lighting a candle and holding Steven W's memory and prayers for his family close to my heart... Thank you for joining in paying respects to this kind of shared experience of transition as you can. Every town has its shared stories...and this one is sure to touch many hearts...