Issue #16: Tell People You Love Them
A heartfelt reminder
This week finds me again in grief.
Living life means losing people you love. Grief is so weird because it compounds on itself and creeps into daily life in funny ways.
The person you loved, wrote cards to, and gave giant hugs to no longer exists on this earthly plane.
Eventually, I want to tell the story of my life in music with all my various run-ins with famous musicians, but this week it doesn’t feel completely right.
I’ve been speaking with my high school best friend Alyssa a lot lately, and many of these musical stories involve her (spoiler alert we have an iconic story about Radiohead in 1994). Unfortunately, the reason we’ve been speaking more recently is the loss of our dear friend Jeff. Alyssa is my hero, and she helped care for Jeff during the end of his life.
Jeff was also an incredible man. Smart, gregarious, loving, and extremely generous. He was the father of our high school best friend who was tragically killed with her sister the summer before our junior year in high school.
That loss in my teenage years made a huge impact on my life. I learned very young how important friends and good people are and how precious life truly is. Jeff’s entire family were an amazing example of grace, humility and perseverance after immense tragedy. They never wallowed in their grief. They made sure to honor their girls and give back to the community that supported them. They truly modeled service and mutual aid. It has been an honor and a huge gift to my life to know the entire family. Heaven certainly has one more angel.
If I give you nothing else this week, call your loved ones.
Tell people who are important to you how much you love them.
Live fully, vibrantly in service and love.
This life can be hard and horrible and weird but also so beautiful and PRECIOUS!
Look for love and beauty around you.
Give hugs.
Give back.
Show up.
Be love. Amen.
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