For Precious

It's been a week now since we lost Precious Martin. Honestly, I'm still in shock over it; I expect a text message from him at any moment. For some unknown reason I find myself stuck in the first stage of grief. I simply don't believe it. 

This has been one of the strangest reactions to death that I've ever dealt with. (And isn't it sad that as we age we can make such statements? That we can evaluate our reactions to the deaths of friends and loved ones based upon how they compare to our previous reactions to death? Our existence on this planet has its many beauties, but death is not one of them.) I'm sure this denial will fade into anger at some point as it always does, but for now all I can do is marvel at the oddness of it and tell myself that he really is gone. 

I'll miss my friend for many reasons, one of which was his ability to give wonderful advice. I count such friends as special gifts from God, for their wisdom improves my life and the lives of others. Precious was that to me. He was a terrific person. His advice was always spot on. He had a knack for understanding people and how they operated. He will be remembered forever as a champion of the common man, a fighter for justice, and a hero to his fellow trial lawyers. He was a tireless advocate for the less fortunate, and had a deep sense of fairness. Mississippi is better because of him. Farewell, my friend.