What to Cling to When Death Comes at Christmas

Two weeks before Christmas, one of my son's classmates—let's call him Austin—died suddenly. At 15 years old, he was gone. It wasn't from the things that all too often take the lives of 15-year-old boys: homicide, suicide, drug overdose, motor vehicle accident. He died of a ruptured aorta. In other words, it was one of those things which you can't screen for, prepare for, or prevent. His death felt pointless.