Tonight I got to spend time with many people who have left footprints on my life. We all dressed up and enjoyed being fancy for a while. We smiled and took lots of pictures. We made a few last memories to add to the vast number of already existing ones. And I guess it was a good time.
But one of those people wasn't there. Unforeseen circumstances kept her away from an event that I know she would never have missed if she'd been given the choice. And she was sorely missed, by me and by others. It's hard to reflect on the past and to enjoy the memories with the people in them, when a person so significant is missing.
I was given an award tonight that could have gone to a number of people in that room. There is so much work that goes into that theater that doesn't come from me. But I was more than honored, albeit surprised, to have received it. I was grateful, but a part of me didn't want to accept it. It was supposed to come from her. She was supposed to be there. None of the blood, sweat, and tears that I offered up would have been useful or deserved if it weren't for her.
I don't know where my opening quote came from, but there's a lot of truth in it. Some people are in our lives for a season and then leave, passing quickly through. But others stay for a while, and take time to invest in us, and they are the ones who leave footprints on our hearts. They are the ones that we miss when we leave, the ones we seek to replace but never really can.
She was one of them.
Sure, tonight was great. Sure, it was fun. But it was incomplete. Because, more than any award, it is her friendship, wisdom, and love for which I am grateful.
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