Hundreds Gather to Mourn Dungy
Tony Dungy and his family will probably never know, but I want to add my sympathies and condolences on the much too early passing of their son James. As reported by NFL.com, hundreds of current and former NFLers attended his funeral including almost the entire Colts team, many from Tony Dungy’s previous team, the Buccaneers, NFL dignitaries, and others. SportsIllustrated has an even better article here on the service and many quotes from friends of Tony Dungy, one of the real good guys in the NFL.
Evidently, James took his own life which only increases the tragedy. According to kidshealth.org:
“Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), surpassed only by accidents and homicide.”
To me, that’s a shocking statistic. Emotions and impulses are so much stronger in the teen and young adult years, at least as I dimly recall my teen years. Teens are also under new pressures socially, emotionally, even biologically. Most learn to cope, but not all. We, as parents or friends of teens, need to be cognizant of these factors and be there for our kids. The kidshealth.org article has some good information and I recommend it.
As Connie and I were discussing the other day, our families have been quite fortunate. Very few untimely passings, and except for some few incidents of disabilities, my CP being one, family members and our kids are all healthy. But, we should not take it for granted. Indeed, to me the message of Jamie Dungy’s passing, and the zillion other tragedies in the world is to take nothing for granted and love everyone daily. Don’t let them forget you love them. As Mr. Dungy said, quote from the CNNSI.com article:
“Parents hug your kids every chance you get,” he said. “Tell them you love them. You never know when it will be your last time.”
God rest his soul.
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