Passing of a Friend - A Tribute

This past weekend, a beautiful soul left this earth realm to go back home.  He was my friend. 
He was a bright, shining spirit who profoundly affected anyone who knew him.  His heart open, warm, and welcoming... his smile more so.  His laugh...ahhh, his laugh could be heard in the ethers... an "in-your-face" huge, rolling, belly laugh that went straight to your core... healing you as it reverberated through your entire being.  His laughter could literally lift the mood in a room in an instant... you just couldn't NOT laugh if he was laughing.
 

After we heard the news of  his passing on Saturday, friends and I went out for drinks in honor of him.  He would have definitely approved, in fact, he would have been the one to coordinate it if he could have.  The first hour was calm and serene... surreal... a little laughter but a sad awkwardness... a heavy "missing" of sorts.  Then my husband suggested a toast, and from that point on the floodgates opened... story upon story of how he had touched us... how he had amped up our lives with fun and laughter.

We laughed hard remembering him and loving him right where we were - without him, but totally with him.  Names from our past came up... revived in our memories, and we lifted our glasses to the many faces that we hadn't  thought of in years, connecting us to a place and time long gone.  I realized, sitting there with friends I'd known so long, that our remembrance of our wonderful friend had connected us to many other friends too... to the funny, crazy, weird and wonderful people that had been part of his experience.

Through his death, he had brought them back to life for us.  The connections were palpable... the connection between us sitting there in the bar and those that weren't with us... some good friends, some just acquaintances, but we were all united again in a very special moment.  I felt such love for not only him, but all the others too, and I still do as I write this.

It's funny how that works... through someone's passing, the one's still here have an opportunity to re-connect and love each other all over again.  We have an opportunity to not only remember but to bring alive the experiences and people - a revival of sorts.  By doing this, I believe we literally summon that energy forward... carry it with us right smack dab in the center of our hearts to re-live over and over again. 

A bright light in my life and the life of so many others... his energy was large, and still is... and will always be.  Because for those of us blessed enough to have known him, we're the lucky ones... we get to carry his beautiful energy in our hearts for the rest of our lives.

So, to you Kris Basala, you awesome crazy, hard-working, fun-loving, fiery, passionate soul, I thank you for the honor of knowing you.  And I thank you that in your passing, you have rekindled my love for many others.  I will carry them... and you, right in the center of my heart as long as I live.     

Things Kris taught me:

In anything you do, just go for it... just do it...

even if you're afraid... take the leap of faith.

Laugh every chance you get, and then laugh some more.

Dress well.

Go to the beach as much as possible.

Sing out loud.

Always opt for the stick shift.

Get the job done. Figure out how, and then do it...

no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Enjoy a good libation well and often.

Love loudly.

Feel and emote passionately.

Laugh some more.

A good tan can make you feel great.

Work hard... play harder.

Cherish your family.

Cherish your friends.

Give of yourself.

Laugh again.

To all those who love Kris, let's not forget any of it... let's carry his energy forward with us...and each others.

Thanks for visiting this week.  I hope your week is filled with love and hope.

Stacey