Remebering A Friend

Today, I'm remembering a friend I lost last year. Paul was young, too young to lose to a heart attack, and just shy of his birthday when we lost him on March 4, 2008. He was one of those eternally grouchy people; but it was a grouchy that was good-natured and even welcomed most of the time by those who knew him because...well, that was Paul! *smile*

Paul was a very intellegent man with an odd collection of random, probably useless, knowledge. But that knowledge was also one of the reasons he was so well-loved by me and many who knew him. He could randomly come up with a strange bit of fluff to ellaborate on the subject at hand, or some small morsel that indirectly related to the game you were playing or the topic we were discussing. And his great ability to argue a topic from the opposite side of his beliefs was awe-inspiring at times.

I'd call Paul a gamer, but it's too simple a term. He was a free-spirit who enjoyed the "nerdy" aspect of socialization, but he was quick to talk to or help a stranger. Paul's only problem he had with the world was stupidity. Or, rather, the people who refused to be educated beyond their own narrow scope of reality. They drove him wild, but he also thrived on them as well as a constant fuel for his ire. I also think that he needed those people or else his anger might spill out onto everyone else who he only found "mildly" annoying...and those few could be mighty at times! *lol*

But despite his sometimes surly nature, Paul was also a giant teddy bear of a man (size not withstanding) with a soft spot for kids and a sympathetic ear (though sometimes harsh tongue since he tended to be blunt...uh, very blunt) for friends and family. But he was a loving, dutiful son, a good samaritan, and a man with a sense of humor.

Today, I want to remember my friend Paul for his life, his humor, and his kindness; not for the loss we suffered when he passed, but for what he brought to so many of us who knew him. Today, I want to remember, be mournful I will miss out on more of Paul in my life, but, most importantly, remember how he enriched all of our lives, those who knew and cared for him.

We miss you, Paul; we celebrate you, Paul.