Cautious Joy

When I was in college, I worked at a School of English.  The school was associated with our university, and we had students from all over the world enrolled in our program.  I worked as a Monitor - it was my job to organize social activities for our students, as well as to lead them in conversation.  It was an absolutely amazing experience, which allowed me to befriend people from all over the world.

One of the people that I got to know very well was Mario.  As the youngest person in our program (he was only 16 at the time - the program caters mostly to college level students), he astonished everyone with his drive to master the English language, and his carefree attitude.  He was one of those people that you knew would grow up to be someone great - he was wise beyond his years without being condescending.

At the end of the semester, Mario returned to his home in Mexico.  He would eventually enroll in med school and get engaged.

This morning, I received news that Mario had been kidnapped, and despite the fact that his parents paid over a million pesos in ransom, he was found dead a couple of days ago. 

While one bride to be is preparing her wedding vows, another is mourning the loss of her murdered fiance.

Cautious Joy used to be my Weddingbee screen name.  The phrase is my personal reminder that everything in life is balanced - there must be an equal amount of joy and sadness.  When I experience something joyful, I try to savor every minute so that I can recall the moment in times of hardship.  When I experience times of pain, I try to remind myself that joy is just around the corner.

A wedding is such an all consuming, monumental moment in our lives.  We work so hard at making it the perfect day - the dress has to be "The One", the invites must be printed on the thickest paper, the bride must be at her most radiant - that we sometimes forget to be grateful for the joy that we have already been given.

I don't know Mario's fiancee, or his family for that matter.  I hope that somehow my thoughts and prayers will reach them.  And who knows - perhaps through the power of the internet, this post will find a way to them. 

Mario was a wonderful man, and the world is a much sadder place without him.