Shortly I will write about a new challenge I will embark on in my ongoing quest to live a creative life. In the meantime I have added this piece I have written that is a little out of the ordinary for this blog. I wanted to add it because of the impact this event has had on me and my friends. It is a tribute to a friend. It is also a reminder why embracing life’s small adventures is so important. The piece is called…
The bittersweet passing of Tim
The mood of this quick sketch captures the sadness I am feeling over the loss of my friend. Media: Black ballpoint pen on paper.
Yesterday I learned of the passing of an acquaintance. His name was Tim. Tim was a bear of a man. To those who knew him his physical size was only surpassed by the size of his heart. He was a man who cared. He gave you time. He shared his smile. He listened. I was enjoying becoming his friend. I guess that is the usual way it happens. You become friends. It happens over time. Gradually. As time goes by you enjoy more shared experiences, you have more shared stories, you share more laughs, you tease each other more, and you have more fun when you are together. Tim wasn’t shy about adding a fun-loving quip at my expense, or sharing a beer, or a story, or a laugh. It was a sign of our growing friendship. Sadly, and tragically, our new and growing friendship was cut short. Tim was thirty-one when he died.
In one of the closing scenes of the movie “A Perfect Storm” the community is in a pub mourning friends and family who were lost at sea. They mourned the loss of some of their own. Last night Tim’s friends were together in his favorite pub and we did just that. We mourned the loss of one of our own. We shared stories about our friend. We shared our grief. We shared our tears. We hugged each other. And we raised a glass to him. I think Tim would have liked that—toasting him with one of his favorite beers. Cheers Tim. To you!
While becoming friends usually happens as you share experiences over time it somehow gets sped up when something unusual happens, like the untimely passing of a friend. While I have lost an acquaintance I have gained some new friends. Our shared grief has brought us together. Somehow it feels like we are more of a family, or maybe only a community — but a community brought closer together by the loss of one of our own. Tim’s passing has hastened the bonds of our friendship. That’s what makes it bittersweet. It was Tim’s gift to me. It was Tim’s gift to all of us. Thank you Tim. We will enjoy being closer. We will enjoy sharing your memory. And we will miss you. Good bye my friend.
___________________________________________________
Tim was a huge supporter of the Everton Football Club. In his honour, here is the Everton song.
Leave a Comment
No comments yet.
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
