Mourning Those We Don't Know

The world has already lost, most famously, David Bowie and Alan Rickman in 2016. Of course even more undeserved are now gone, but due to feeling a bit glum ignorance will prevail and I will not find out, and of course, so many more I can never comprehend. I was taken aback to hear about David Bowie and I feel devastated for his family. His poor family. And his friends and fans and all those affected. I smiled sadly paying my tribute which was listening to his songs and remembering them. No death can be rated as worse than another and so please don’t think I mean anything like that at all when I say; man, I’m devastated by Alan Rickman’s death.

I was out and about and I heard the man on the radio say heartbreaking news had come in. Alan Rickman has died. I just stopped. He will be important to many members of the public just like me and oh my gosh, it’s on my mind. To me he is the man that translated the character Snape incredibly to the screen. The man who helped make Love Actually one of my favourite films. Harry Potter, like it is for so many is one of my favourite series and Alan Rickman will be in my heart; always.

I heard someone say, “It’s not like you know him.” No, I didn’t know him but my first and most important thoughts go out immediately to his family and friends and to him and his life cut short. They come first and foremost in my grief. Naturally I’ve lost an idol, but not a building block to my life.

And that thought deserves its own paragraph. It deserves all of the words, and partially because not every relative/friend of a passed away celebrity would want (understandably) my sadness. It just doesn’t compare.

I do cry, though. The industry has lost yet another great, and I’ve never been as affected, with all due respect to a public figure’s death as the wonderful Alan Rickman’s passing. I watched the final Harry Potter film at the end of last week and I shed a tear for him. I’ll shout “No Harry!” at Love Actually when that time rolls around again and, after reading such amazing, sincere and grateful things about him, I will take his awesome qualities into my life with me. Because what a wonderful man it seems and I believe he was.

 

We mourn those we don't know because we are sympathetic, emotional beings and that is a good thing. It means we care and we want to improve the world where we can. A lot of us know people affected by cancer and a lot of us sadly will. Cancer doesn’t discriminate- it isn’t picky. We’ve got to do as much as we can to stop this terrible, terrible thing. Below, for Alan Rickman, for David Bowie and all of the others affected by cancer, I leave these links below… If you can, do something awesome today.

 

Macmillan

 

Teenage Cancer Trust

 

Cancer Research UK 

 

Always & Always,

 

The Girl in the Moonlight.