Respect and Admiration for a Friend

Last Thursday we returned from a 9 day vacation back home. (Home? What is home? Is home where you came from? Where you grew up? Is home where you currently reside? Is home where your family is? Is home where your parents are? Is home where your spouse and kids are?) In this case, home is Cowtown. The place I lived for 8 years before moving to our current home two years ago, and the place where my wife spent her entire life growing up. The reason for the trip was a friends wedding, though we extended the stay in order to visit with family and friends.

The wedding was absolutely amazing! It was the first outdoor wedding I’ve ever attended, and it was so beautiful. Set on the banks of the Bow River, it was a gorgeous sunny day with a slight breeze to keep things from getting too hot. It wasn’t a large wedding, maybe 100-150 people, so I felt especially honored to be among those invited to share this special day with them. I also got to sit with a couple of buddies from computer college, with whom it was nice to catch up and reminisce about the good times we had.

It was during this time of talking with my friends about school when I thought a little more about my friend the groom, and my respect and admiration for the guy. He is one of those guys that lives a genuine, authentic life. When I think of a man with integrity, I think of him. On multiple occasions throughout the night I told him how awesome I thought he was, though in my semi-inebriated state, I didn’t get much past that. So that is the point of this post; to tell my friend how much I respect him, and how much of an impact he has had on my life.

He is a principled individual who stands by what he believes in, but it doesn’t come across as arrogant or holier-than-thou. He is more than happy to let you make an ass out of yourself, or do something stupid, but that doesn’t mean he will take part in it. He is also the nicest person I know. Seriously, I don’t know a nicer, more considerate person.

And while his most memorable moment with me might be the time that I stole and ate someone’s lunch (which for the record had been left in a study cubicle in the hall, and not claimed for the half hour I sat there before eating it), he has challenged me to become a better person. Even now, 5 years since our graduation, I still think of him when I do something stupid. You know those bracelets with the WWJD that little Christians wore in the 90′s? Well I need one that says WWKD (what would K do). The thought of him helps keep me accountable when I’m thinking of doing something stupid.

While we aren’t in contact as much since I moved away, he is one of those genuine, authentic people that I hope to always call a friend. I am honored to have him in my life, and that he thought highly of me enough to invite me to his wedding.

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