Well put, Bill.
I am sorry for your loss, Grinner. I had a friend of mine with a mental illness committ suicide a few years back, and I wondered the same thing. Nicest kid in the world, never did anybody wrong, but just couldn't catch a break in his own head. I understand that this is different from the way your friend passed, but the outcome is the same. It's never easy to lose someone you love, but the best thing you can do is grieve properly as Bill said, remember and reflect on the times (both good and bad are healthy, I believe) you had with him, know that you'll be reunited again someday (I hope), and maybe give tribute to his life in some way. Also - be there for his other friends that you may know, and definitely be there for his family, even if you don't know them all that well. Let them know who you are and why you were friends with him. Ask them if there's anything you can do to help in this hard time, and be strong. It's a hard time for all that knew him, but if you all stick together, it'll not only make it easier, but maybe bring you closer together. And that's probably something he would've wanted.
And I believe you play music, right? Well, right there is a great way to express how you are feeling and maybe make sense of it all, at least on some level.
God bless.
Play music, expand the mind, inspire...
"We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey" - Japanese poet Kenji Miyazawa
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