On March 29, 2015, my boss and good friend, Max, passed away suddenly. It left a hole in my day to day that is hard to explain or to really grasp. I struggle that my words can't quite capture his life or this loss but if Max taught me anything it's never to give in to giving up. Just over a month of coming to grips with this loss, I pay tribute to an unforgettable human being:
Silence can be deafening. When it's not expected...not welcomed. When my chance for a farewell passed me by...I didn't know this goodbye would be into the deep eternity of forever.
Each passing day I sit guarding your remnants. I sit outside the space you filled with your laugh and your jokes, with your brilliant ideas and your boisterous spirit. Where you'd call my name and challenge my mind and teach me. I see remnants of your fingerprints...the patch of carpet which tells the tale of clumsy hands spilling coffee, the messy piles of paperwork that you would get to tomorrow, and the last place you laid your pen to rest. But tomorrow has come and gone and the dust is settling...covering over, like a blanket of dignity to that which was lost. I run my finger over the dust in hopes to relive one last moment...to hear one last word.
You lived abundantly and you loved relentlessly. You believed in second (and third) chances. You never let a setback set your pace. You always fought the good fight, even at your weakest...never afraid to show your humanity. How honoured I am to be let in to those small and private moments. You lived life fully awake, looking for where you could give a piece of yourself. You left your mark...inside the doors of your everyday and inside the hearts of everyone.
I'm grateful for the time that's passed...for the memories of witty banter and brotherly advice. I've known for some time that this blessing of moments and space was not forever young...that the expiry would meet us. But that I must be grateful for God's gracious hand to give me this small glimpse of time with one of the unforgettables.
But today the silence rings loud...it tells of what's been lost and what will forever be missing in this life. A life lived too short, but lived so well. My boss, my teacher, my friend.
Unforgettable Max.
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