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In Loving Memory

A tribute to our own Tom Bradbury

By J. LeePublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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In Loving Memory
Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

Every person that we come in contact with will eventually leave us. Some of them will be more important than others, and their losses may hit harder as a result. For others, we may only know in passing, and yet still remain saddened and grief stricken when their time, too, comes to be. For all of us, one day, this will inevitably happen. It is what it is, the way of life.

But that doesn’t make it any less upsetting.

Now I, in my nearly 25 years of life, have already lost more people than I can name. The last number I remember on my checklist was 38, and that was four years ago. I’ve lost quite a few more since then- and that list will never get any shorter.

None of these losses have ever been, or will ever be, the same. As a result, the way I have felt and reacted to each and every one of them has been different, and the impact on myself may seem unpredictable considering the type of relationship the person in question and I had up until their Time. This is also normal. We all handle grief and loss differently, and every situation is different from other losses we may have experienced prior. Some may hit us harder, tear us apart longer, stick with us for years until our Time, too, has come at last. It is what it is, the way of life.

Personally, some of the losses that hit me the hardest were the people I knew for the least amount of time. Sure, I get misty eyed about my grandparents, who raised me and were some of the most involved people in my life. But, almost 10 years later, I still get knocked down like I was hit with a freight train at least a couple times a month thinking about a good friend of mine who I knew for a little over a year. I always tear up or cry when I think about a different friend, who I only knew over the internet in middle school. I sobbed for days, wrote a piece, and went on an advocate rampage for weeks when I lost a fellow teaching assistant whom I’d never even met or talked to, just knew about in passing.

This time, it’s no different.

Someone who I hardly knew has passed, and I am heartbroken.

Tom Bradbury, image obtained via his facebook picture

Earlier this week, one of our own creators, Tom Bradbury, tragically lost his life on this plane of existence. I did not know him well, and yet, his absence has now left a gaping wound in my chest that is leaving me crying out in hopes that he’ll return.

We have only talked a handful of times, all in The Vocal Creators Lounge on facebook. None of these conversations, most of them short lived, were unpleasant. In fact, chatting with him was always a pleasure, and brought a smile to my face. He was always kind, encouraging, full of wisdom, and love. I’m far from the only person to make these claims, I’ve noticed. I’m thankful that many of my fellow creators were able to befriend such a wonderful person, and it’s good to have others we can lean on as we collectively grieve the loss of one of ours. Especially someone as full of life and compassion as Tom was.

In some of the comment sections, and over some of our own stories, Tom and I bonded over being foreigners in France, of our individual experiences and how they paralleled. In a time where I was still getting used to living outside of my home country of nearly 24 years, he provided me with comfort in knowing that I wasn’t alone in my struggles- let alone dealing with it all in a pandemic. As a fellow writer, Tom didn’t just encourage my writing goals (which I have fallen short on as of late), but goals of my existence in general. I wasn’t the only one he did this with, either, as many of us have similar tales and fond memories of him in this light.

A picture Tom shared with me of one of his baby sheep

Many in our Vocal community are saddened, devastated, heartbroken by his sudden passing. We will want for his commentary on our pieces, and desire to read just one more, two more, countless more of his own. We will miss his jokes, yearn for his kindness, and think of him in nothing but loving memory.

Too soon, did he have to put down his pen, put up his keyboard, and leave the writing desk.

May your life live on in the words you’ve shared, and all the ones we will continue to say about you.

You are greatly loved, and already sorely missed.

May you rest softly, Tom Bradbury.

grief
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About the Creator

J. Lee

French enthusiast, non-binary trans person, artist, writer, lover of animals, space, and the right for every living thing to experience their existence authentically.

Pronouns: they/them (English) iel (French)

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