Filling In

Last December a dearest friend and colleague, Manual passed away suddenly without warning.
I was devastated for losing this incredible person and feel the loss everyday.
Yesterday our employer announced that Manuel was receiving the most prestigious award given to those who have served our agency with the highest level of honor and dignity.
His family accepted the award posthumously.
When I was reading the announcement tears filled my eyes and I was overcome with the void that has  been left in his absence.
I thought about the people who have come forward to replace him and they all seem so pale, so much like shadows.
I started to think about our relationships with one another. It's as if one person leaves and another one appears to fill in the space left empty and quiet, it's as if our God is trying to alleviate the pain of loss by shoring up the hole with another. But as we all know one person cannot replace another, they can only fill in for awhile.
Maybe the new person will become as special as the one who has gone or perhaps they will simply remain a shadow.
I wonder if they know they're filling in for Manuel when they arrive on the scene, I wonder if they know his shoes they're trying to fill are much too big for them right now.
I wonder if I am filling in for someone in another persons life.