ould only have seen then what I can see now.Season after season team members came and went, but there was always one constant, George. He spoke in front of our school at our fifth grade graduation. George forsaw that sooner than we expected, we would be in college. He knew we should treasure the time we have together. Although then I took it for granted, I now realize that I do cherish the time I had with him. His moving words and poetic style conveyed how much he cared for us. He was proud of how far we had come already and wanted to inspire us to go further That day he really stood out as a pillar in our community.I remember the single most important conversation I had with George Monge when I was in junior high. It was so meaningful and life altering, that it has in part shaped who I am and how I live today. He always told us to cease the moment, “Carpe deim”, he would say. If only my immaturity didn’t block me from seeing that he was right, you only live once, so make the best of it. “Ace”, he said that day, “Let me ask you a question.”“Yea, Coach?”“If you were going to die tomorrow and had only one phone call to make, who would you call and what would you say? Why are you waiting?”At the time, his words flew right over my head. I heard what he said, but I was not really listening. I should have answered the question right there. I should have answered, I would call you coach and thank you for everything you have done for me. But, for some reason, no words would come. I will not make that mistake again. The moment I did not seize changed the way I think and live. Senior year of high school, Mike and I were lab partners in biology. One day during last period our teacher suddenly asked Mike to step outside. When she came back in the room without Mike; her face told me something was amiss. Later that night news of a tragedy reached my ears. ̶...
