By: Michael Reel
Changing Our Narrative
The influence of Kobe Bryant reached far beyond the realm of professional basketball and the whole of professional sports. This week the sports world paid homage to Bryant, from hockey to horse racing and all courts and fields in between. Bryant’s impact is global and representative of the life he lived and the countless people he touched in ways not witnessed before.
Addressing the sudden death of Kobe Bryant and providing perspective on behalf of Reel Urban News, Robert Jones, a native of Los Angeles exclaimed he’s no stranger to celebrity deaths. “I often sympathize with the loss but have never been one driven to emotion over these types of events. So one could imagine the struggle I had within myself as I was unable to control my emotional outpouring after this loss. After having a few days to think about it I have come to a conclusion. I miss Kobe Bryant like a family member because in some strange, inexplicable way Kobe was a family member.”
To the global family members and fans of the late Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and those who perished with the Bryant’s, I am writing to let you know that the readers and viewers of Reel Urban News are praying for you and with you in this time of tremendous bereavement, challenge and change. Whenever we lose a loved one who is near and dear to us through many years of association our hearts and pierced with deep sorrow. We can never replace an individual and we never get over it. The best that we can do is learn to live with what we have to accept. We’re praying for all of us as we adjust to life without our beloved Kobe Bryant.
Finally, I pray that we will be strengthened by the One who has changed death from a period to a comma and the grave from a terminal point to a thoroughfare that leads to eternal life. While death is potent, death is not omnipotent. There are some things death cannot do. Death cannot cancel the contribution one makes in a lifetime nor limit the length of the legacy one leaves behind. Death cannot erase the experience we hold dear nor mar the memories we keep near. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, said the Spirit that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.” Revelation 14:13.
Rev. Dr. William S. Epps “Somethings Death Cannot Do“
