To an amazing person I never got to meet...

So today I decided to go to Kim Barrett's memorial service. I didn't know Kim, but met her through association of friends on Facebook. The first thing that I have to say is that I have only been to one funeral in my life, my fathers, some 10 years ago. I was a little upset with the manner in which he was Eulogized, for I had wished that it would have been more about the celebration of his life. Kim's memorial service was just that, A celebration of her life and remembrance of her, in all her wonder and awe.

Kim is the second person that passed this year and so it hit close to home since it affected many of my "cycling" friends. The one thing that was apparent throughout the service was the love of her friends. After the service was over, there was a gathering on the property at the Mission San Luis Rey (http://www.sanluisrey.org/), where people shared stories of Kim and of her love and compassion and what an amazing person she was. In hearing all the stories, it was hard to hold back the tears. Young and old alike rekindled stories of Kim's generosity and loving spirit.

At the conclusion of the day, I decided to introduce myself to her fiance, Chris Geirman, who is just a fantastic guy with a great heart. I explained to him that I never met Kim, but I could tell by her photos that she was a warm, generous and loving individual. I shared that even though I didn't know her that well, in some way she touched me, like I was meant to be at this service to see all these people and to meet Chris and experience the love of all her family and friends. I wanted to get up and give a kind word at the mic, but decided to let those who really knew her praise and remember this amazing woman.

I realized at this event, that we are joined by our connections in this life. The people we are rude to, or smile to, the ones we laugh with and the ones we cry with. We have to learn to cherish the connections and remove the false sense of pride that may exist. We are all here to help one another and there is no winner at the end. Just because you had a big house, fancy car and lots of money, doesn't mean you lived a good life, for it is a measure of a man or woman by what they do with the inheritance.

Kim was a wonderful person, with a big smile and a sort of , Natalie Wood beauty and presence about her. Everyone there was celebrating her life and agreed that she would be sorely missed. She lived the life that we all talk about living, like being altruistic, and giving of ones self. She supported those that needed her and she tried to make the world a better place. There was a quote that was spoken and it is serenely beautiful. It is from Maya Angelou and it reads:

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel"

From what I learned, Kim made everyone feel amazing, beautiful, loved and wanted. I hope that I can live in that shadow and help other feel the same way. Although we never met, Kim has left a lasting impression on my heart.



So for the woman that I never met and the smile that I will never forget, you will be in my thoughts as well as my heart. You did not leave us, for you left a piece of yourself with all of us.

Until next time...

Comments

  1. Chad,

    This was such a touching and heart felt blog. Thank you for capturing in the kindest and sweetest way. Her smile and words were so infectious that you couldn't help but be so darn happy about life. We will all miss her....thank you again!

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  2. Chad, as you know I was there at the funeral, too, and it certainly was an amazing day. A lovely celebration of Kim filled with loving (albeit grieving) friends and family. One thing that many of us took away was that we need to all "read between the lines" of the people we care about. If they are camouflaging their suffering with smiles and kindness, we need to learn to see through that so that we can help them through their time of need. We all need to learn to be more vigilant in that way.

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  3. Dear Chris,
    You pinned it on the head with your comments about Kim: sweetie pie of a woman she was. I can tell you that I did know her and she was wonderful. I am shocked and truly saddened by her sudden and tragic death. How thoughtful of you to attend her funeral without even meeting her. I thank you for the description of the events because I was not able to attend. Again, thank you for YOUR kind heart.
    Taylor

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  4. I left a comment before, but it seems to have disappeared. I just wanted to thank you again, Chad. I re-read this just now, and it still brings tears to my eyes. And, I had not seen the other comments made, which make me smile.

    FYI: There is a minor misspelling of my last name.

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  5. [...] To an amazing person I never got to meet… August 2010 4 comments 3 [...]

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