I work with a man whom I feel lucky to consider a friend. He is an exceptional person; husband, father... a man who excels at his work, enjoys art, boats, reads stacks of books, travels and seems to make the most of every day on the planet. I spend time with him several times a year through business. It seems that each time I see him he finds some new way to impress me.
This time it was with mens jewelry.
We were at a trade show together. At breakfast he told me that his friend, a painter, had died. She was in her 90's. It was plain to see, as he spoke, how deeply he cared for this woman.
Later in the day I noticed that my friend, (who always dresses very nicely) was wearing cuff links. I had never seen him wear them before.
The next day I looked and his cuffs were fastened with ordinary buttons. "No cuff links?" I queried. "I wore them yesterday because it was a funeral," he told me.
He had missed the funeral of his friend because he was far from home on business. But he honored her, just the same. In his own quiet, thoughtful, loving way, he honored her passing. He missed the cathedral and the incense and the prayers and the sharing of memories with others who loved her. But he remembered her with cuff links. A small way to set the day apart. To remember a painter friend.
My friend- he paints the world in his own way. I know he makes my world more beautiful because I know him.
No comments:
Post a Comment