Kirstie... wow, what a beautiful life you lived my sweet friend. I’m absolutely heartbroken that our time together was cut short so abruptly... it still feels like I should be expecting a text or chat ping any minute, or that whenever I get to go back in to the office, we’ll be back in our old corner.
For the rest of my life, I’ll be so grateful you were a part of it. I feel so privileged that I got to spend so many ordinary, daily, mundane moments with you. You truly embodied that Mother Teresa saying about doing small things with great love.
You taught me many, many things. Like how apples aren’t as boring as I used to think they were, but quite the opposite. Or how you can always find time to dip in the ocean, even at the start or end of a long day.
Above all, you taught me how to see people. Reading over your old messages and the constant affirmation, makes me really hope to live up to the way you saw me. Whenever you looked at anyone, it was as if you were seeing the very best version of that person... whether it was a donor, an intern we managed together, a random salesperson, a lifelong friend, a kid in Mexico, etc.
I think the world would be so much better if we could all see ourselves and other people the way God sees us. That feels super lofty, but the way you saw everybody gave us a living, vibrant image of what that looks like. And I think because you deliberately chose to see the best version of each person, we all became a little bit more like the best version of ourselves.
You loved people so well. Thank you for everything, Kirst. Everything.