Here goes.

Someone from my old highschool died this weekend in a car accident. Apparently he hydroplaned and flipped the car. It's said that this knocked him unconcious. The car then caught on fire. Um. And he died.

I barely knew him. I had one class with him in 11th grade, and I remember that he was a prep. I also remember that he was nice. I'm not particularly affected by this death.
There are always those people that, when they come in contact with death, feel the need to shout out loud about how much they miss the deceased. The same thing happened when Arnold comminted suicide two years ago. The same thing happened when three people accidentally died, on three different occasions, three years ago. At least, I think it was three years.
The point is, I never understood why people pray for the deceased. Aren't they past praying? Why didn't anyone pray for them before they died?

Today before work, I said a little prayer for him. I asked the Goddess to watch over him as he made his way to wherever he is meant to go. I also asked her to watch over those that are truly affected by his death. But I still didn't understand why people pray for the deceased.

At around 11 o'clock, my best friends Yma and Vicki came in. Vicki knew the boy, and she had been shocked when we initially discussed it. She came into tonight, and her voice was wracked with tension. "Make me coffee!" she said. It sounded like she was sobbing. I laughed and asked why. She said, "My friend died yesterday and I have to pull an all-nighter tonight!" She then completely and utterly broke down, and fell into Yma's arms, sobbing. I was stunned. So, I did what I had to do. I pulled out a venti cup, and made her a gingerbread latte, with an extra shot of espresso. I then hugged her, picked her up, and sat her down on the comfy chairs.

Now I know. People may pray for the deceased, but they really pray for those who have lost their strength. And that's why I lit this candle tonight.