A Sturdy Man...

#ForeverFiveTribe

I'm not going to lie...

This past while has been hard.

I haven't had the courage to share much on social media about this.

Or about much at all.  My heart has had a big hole in it.

Today we said goodbye to our long time buddy, Russell Brown.

Digby and Russell were best friends at school and our family's lives have overlapped for the past 20 odd years.  We have done family and life through the years and Melody is one of my dearest friends.

Four months ago after a trail run together,

she told me she was taking Russ to the doctor for a low grade fever that he just couldn't shake.

If you told me then, that today he would be gone - 

I would have said "are you completely out of your mind?"

I'm really struggling and completely overwhelmed by the fickleness of life.

It's tender fragility.

And that sometimes there is no rhyme or reason why things happen, they just do.

The tribute today was precious.

So much is going through my mind and heart.

Here are some of them....

1.  Russell was A Sturdy Man. Period.

What a beautiful kind soul!  That is and will always be his legacy.

It's made me think a lot about this... what's my story?

2.  Melody was the epitome of grace through this fire.

And I've never been more proud of her.

3.  Take lots and lots of beautiful pictures of your beautiful people.

Today, their stunning pictures told their love story!

4.  Take time, precious beautiful time and make beautiful memories.

Time is running out!

5.  Live intentionally. Live beautifully.  Live kindly.

Right now the hardest part of me is watching people I care deeply about, suffer through the loss and try find a remnant of something.  Maybe not because they want to but because life keeps moving forward, never regardless but in spite of their situation!

Choosing "LIFE" daily even when it sucks!

I'm tenderhearted tonight, yet at the same so immensely grateful that

my life has been touched by such mighty people, such kindness and such love.