on friday afternoon, a dear friend of mine passed away in a car accident. he was 21 years old.
my heart is broken.
it doesn’t seem real. it doesn’t seem fair.
he was one of the most positive and encouraging people i’ve ever known, the kind of guy who would pay me the kindest, most sincere compliments, things i still remember to this day. he was always building me up, making me feel like i could do anything.
everything about him was so distinctive and endearing – his mannerisms, his voice, his laugh, his stance, the way he spoke – anyone who knew him would vividly remember all of these characteristics that were so special about him.
smart. loyal. sweet. athletic.
he had a huge heart that touched everyone who knew him.
and he was a blast to be around because he loved to laugh, a quality that i so cherish.
one of my favorite memories was this past february when i went to visit him in austin with my friend kyle. we’d gone to sixth street that saturday night, and kyle ran into a friend from high school, so michael and i, high school buddies as well, really got to enjoy some time just the two of us, talking over drinks and learning about each other, something we hadn’t really been able to do before in the hustle and bustle of volleyball tournaments and dinners with groups of people. we really connected that night in a way that i can’t explain, and we even talked about it, how glad we were that we stayed in touch, and that our personalities just went perfectly together and we enjoyed each other’s company. i felt as though we were truly seeing each other for the first time, even though we’d been friends for so long.
when the night was over at 3 or 4 in the morning, we met up with kyle, and the three of us ordered from a food truck that specialized in buffalo meat. a cold front had come through earlier that day (i was wearing a sweater and jeans – not usual attire for me on sixth – but i’d only brought a skimpy dress and michael insisted that no one would think anything of it), and we sat around a fire pit, soaking up the warmth, talking, laughing, eating. i had gotten some kind of spicy asian stir-fry with buffalo meat, and i remember it being so good that i ate the whole thing. we were so happy, eating our hot food around the fire in the middle of austin and just enjoying life.
memories like these i will never forget, and i’m grateful to have had the opportunity to make them. michael was a wonderful person who impacted so many people’s lives, and i know now that he is in the arms of the Lord. what a bright and beautiful angel that God brought home.
“The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”- Isaiah 57:1-2
be at peace, michael. i love you and always will.
