Gonz, you were a dear friend to me and I will miss you.
You would check-in with me every so often. You listened to me, encouraged me and challenged me. You deeply cared for me and my wife.
I am left with fond memories with you - eating appam and egg curry with friends on your birthday at our place, having a pillow fight at yasi's place on her birthday, 'helping' you by cleaning your room in your absence by stuffing all your strewn out papers into trash bags and leaving them in your car :). The many rides to church and other places. The Signs of Hope / RFKC camp.
You had a big heart for those on the margins. Sometimes you felt like one and I commiserated with you. You were passionate and not afraid to speak your mind. I will remember our many lively discussions - sometimes, I would oppose you just to bring up the counter points or to see you bristle some :)
I am glad I was able to tell you that you were a dear friend before you left for India. Like yasi said, I will miss you and especially at the milestones in our lives.
Till we meet again, Rajesh.
Rajesh Philipos,
Mountain View, CA.
Gonz,
ReplyDeleteMely and I didn't have as much time with you as many of your other friends and co-workers. Our time with you was kind of borrowed time, as you were usually stopping by for a short visit, accompanied by our son, Paul and other traveling friends. We would have you for two or three day stop-overs. But, those times were brief, especially the short conversations, when I could personally get to visit on a one-on-one with you. You had a way of showing real concern and interest in my own personal life. The brief conversations were mostly all about me and my family. Little time was spent getting to know about your family or your interests. I knew little about your career and the things for which you spent most of your regular daily time. You showed genuine concern for my life and that which I valued and had concern for. So, those short moments with you were quality time spent on what you thought would improve my life. I don't think you ever concerned yourself about receiving equal returned concern, at least it appeared, as though you were only there for my better interest. I know that you must have made the trip to have some enjoyment with friends, but if so, that was disguised by your effort to find Christian values in our lives and help us improve and sharpen them.
As I think back, your whole life, especially what I have learned from these many folks surviving you and who are commenting on this site; your whole life was spent for the other guy and how you may contribute to his life and make his more profitable. This is what Christ teaches us to do. But, you did it so well and so persistantly that you had little time for yourself. I believe that the Lord must have felt that you were a man after His own heart.
I said this before and I am saying it again, The Lord must have wanted you so badly, for Himself, that He couldn't wait any longer to have you all to himself. So, He took you earlier than He takes many others.
Thank you, Gonz, and I will be looking forward to spending much time with you in Paradise.