Postby Galant » Sat Oct 16, 2004 12:06 pm
Okay, it was weird writing this! I tried to be honest though.
You wouldn't have called him tall...no, not tall...but he walked that way. His hair was long and dark, but his countenance bright...at least most of the time. Actually, now that I think about it, he was the kind of guy that gave you the impression he was entirely comfortable being around people, but somehow you knew he was just as comfortable being by himself. Though you never saw him alone you just knew that there had to be times, many times, wher he was. I guess it sounds like I'm describing a bit of a mixture...I suppose that's accurate! You see many times he was a lighthearted, funny guy to be around, but he was a thinker, and serious about it too. He cared about truth and integrity - not just in a philosphical, essay kind of way, but as though they mattered like life and death. Sometimes I supposed they weighed on him, but most of the time it just came across as genuine concern and belief. If he was talking about something that mattered to him, you'd know. If someone needed something, or wanted some advice, he'd happily give it and make sure he did a good job, and an honest one. Actually that brings something to mind, if you ever knew him, you knew that if he asked how you were, he meant it. He'd be watching your eyes and if it seemed like something was up, and he felt like he wasn't intruding, he'd press the point and ask again! He was pretty confident with people. That's maybe one of his main traits...confidence. Her had this thing he called "Preacher's Bluff". He used to say that when he was a kid he'd look up at preachers and how it seemed they knew eveything and were so confident. Eventually he got to preach himself, and there was one time when he looked down and saw a kid listening, and it stuck him that that kid was probably thinking just what he used to think, yet in reality he wasn't the wise, all-knowing man of God the kid thought he was. He took that and used it recognising that people have a tendency to think less of themselves and more of others in situations where they aren't familiar. So yeah, he was always pretty confident. Hmmm, then there was always his quirky side, I supposed it could be called nerdy. He had a lot of little interests in things - plants, fish, comics, computers...all kinds of things. He always seemed to have a little bit of knowledge about most things. I mean really random things. A subject or something might come up out of the blue, and there he'd be with this knowledge hidden away that no-one knew he had. He could surprise you at times, and did me on a number of occasions. It all made sense though when he told me something once. You see he loved to learn, he found interest in things that a lot of people would find boring; that's I guess why he could seem nerdy at times. Anyway, he said that since God created the whole universe; that the universe bore his fingerprint just as a painting might carry the traits of the artist, that you could learn something about God in everything and every situation. He said that learning enriched life and it built faith. The more you look the more wonder you find, and that taking joy in the creation is actually learning to take joy in the Creator. I mean, you can say you know and love an artist, but if you don't take the time to look at his art, don't see any value in it, or don't like it, do you really know or love the artist?
Actually, that sounds pretty critical and I'm not sure that represents him properly. You see he could be really critical of ideas and thoughts, and he used to be very critical of people too. But there came a time when he realised all of the flaws in himself, and from that point, he always tried never to be critical of a person, certainly not to them. He could be pretty critical of himself though. I think that was one of his bad points. He was always thinking, which was good, and a lot of times he was happy and....light...yeah that's a good word, but there were times when he maybe thought a bit too much - I wish at those times I could have dragged him away from himself. He always seemed to come around, it was just difficult before that happened. It's as though however he was at any time, it would affect people. If he was up he'd lift you up, but if he was down, at first it was pretty bad for those close to him, but eventually he started to learn, and things were much better! I guess it's art again - and people are God's art, and we should try to appreciate them, to understand them, and to see what God's doing in them. Especially since we're all unfinished works! I know that's what he tried to do, and it's what he started to learn about himself.
Well, I'm rambling, I should quit now. I suppose if I had to some him up, that's what I'd say...you know...about affecting people. I'd have to describe him as a fountain, a natural fountain....like a spring, you know? He had this gift to affect people, to get inside of them. He'd be full of all this stuff - ideas, passions, words.....life I guess, and whenever you were around him he'd pass that on. Sometimes because he was trying, other times when he wasn't. I guess it was his hope that knowing him and being with him would leave you the better for it and not the worse.
No trees were harmed in the creation of this message. However, many electrons were displaced and terribly inconvenienced.
Adopted by Starfire!
OATS - for Shoobie goodness!