Today I will be saying farewell to a friend, a mentor, a great man.
Even out of such profound sadness, the light will come. So many people will gather together to honor and celebrate Rick; lots of great stories will be shared, lifting our collective grief.
Rick was a rock; powerful, solid, complex, but with softened edges gained through life’s experiences. Rocks are an ever changing form, changing shape to give a little in order to help create the shape of something new; the transfer of something valuable.
He was a great friend, a thoughtful mentor, and one of the most observant people I’ve known. I’ve learned so much from him, and the weight of his absence is resonant.
Rick remains that rock for me, solid, enduring, yet always changing, reminding me to accept change, and to continue to transform myself. I will miss him immensely, but will carry him in my mind this way as I continue through life.
As a final note, Rick would find it amusing that I compared him to a rock, and then would commend me for tying him metaphorically to a Feng Shui element-earth.
