The magic remains

The world is a bit less brighter this week, at least here in my little swath of the Midwest. The magic that sparkled has lost its luster, though it remains. My friend Rick has completed his courageous battle with cancer. It wasn’t the completion many were hoping for, but it was the completion that was written for the end of his story.

While he is no longer here, his magic remains.

I met Rick alongside his very sweet and loving wife when the other half and I started attending the tiny church we still go to. He was a longtime member there, full of gregariousness and energy and laughter. Our first meeting doesn’t stick out in my head, but then, it’s been more than fifteen years since we had to have met. Or maybe, just maybe I knew all along he was a friend.

But then again, Rick never met a stranger. It didn’t matter if you were the CEO or just a low person on the totem pole, you were seen as a friend and someone special to him. And you were his friend from the minute he said hello to you.

He often said hello to me. Only it’s was more “What do you know, Kel?” I often grinned as I answered him.

**Tangent here, I hate the nickname Kel. It’s just not a name I like to be called…. but I didn’t seem to mind it so much when Rick used it.**

By the time I had met him, Rick was already retired from his career, but he had other things that filled his time. He was a courier, a volunteer firefighter and often was one who stepped up to help others out as the needs arose. And he always was cheerful and full of impishness as he did so. He always had a story to tell and often a joke to share. And the other half, who counted Rick amongst his honorary brothers, loved sharing his own jokes with Rick too.

He once spent several hours by my side while my other half was in the emergency room before getting admitted to the hospital for a lengthy and stressful stay. We talked and talked and he just kept me company through tests and nurses visits and all sorts of chaos, making the stresses less and keeping some of my anxious fears away. He also said hello to many of the staff at the hospital who had come and gone, surprising me with just how many faces he knew…. or didn’t know and made friends with regardless.

He was just that great at what he did.

He was light and love, the embodiment of hope and peace and joy. No matter what, he made sure you knew you were special to him.

And so it was with heavy sadness that I heard about his passing this past Saturday. He simply went to sleep, weary and tired from the cancer that had taken his energy but could not diminish that light that was his special shine.

Rest well, my friend. You’ve earned it. And may your story live on, even though your own portion is completed. You were magical, after all. And that magic…. well it is hard to make disappear.

The magic remains.

Stay magical, friends.

Write your own story.

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