British author Jeanette Winterson once wrote:
I looked at him, trusting, vulnerable, love without caution. He was a new beginning and every new beginning returns the world. In him, the rain forests were pristine and the sea had not been blunted. He was a map of clear outlines and unnamed hope. He was time before or time after. Time now had not spoilt him. In the space between chaos and shape there was another chance.
I’d like to thank each of you for being here this afternoon in honor of Kyle’s life. It is only fitting that we pay tribute to Kyle among these pulsing hallways and asbestos filled ceilings, since Berkeley High was truly one of the places where Kyle brought his best self. Here he offered us his warm grin, his deep-set, twinkly eyes, his wisdom, his humility, and his little-boy humor.
As the initial shock of Kyle and PJs accident has started to fade, the real horror and pain of their absence reveals itself to each of us. Today we are a room full of loving, grieving people who are coming to terms with what it means to live without our student, our CASmate, our best friend, our cousin, our nephew, our brother, and our son. We wake up every morning and go to sleep every night, longing for Kyle.
In the days since March 31st, whenever I have missed Kyle, I think about my favorite pieces of his character—loyalty to friends, determination of will, and thoughtful presence—and try to access those same traits in myself. It’s how I keep Kyle alive in me while honoring who he was to everyone else. And that is what this space here is all about—it’s bringing together all that was best about Kyle, reminding us of the things we’d forgotten about him, teaching us the things we didn’t know, and allowing the grandeur of Kyle’s life to resuscitate our broken hearts. Welcome.
Just browsing around Facebook we've learned about Kyle's memorial service. Initially I thought it was not possible they were talking about "our" Kyle. Minutes later I realized that as unlikely as it seemed that was the case. I wake up the whole family to tell them the sad news, they did not believe it either.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot start imagining what the Strang's are going through and while I'd like to send them any words that could give them some comfort I am afraid that is just not possible.
Kyle did an impression too in my son Pablo as they were friends while attending Rita's class at Oxford School. And while we've been away from Berkeley for many years, Craig has always been keeping us posted about the family affaires.
We, too, think of Kyle and share the family sadness for this huge loss. We wish they somehow will find a way to live without him.
Kind Regards,
Miguel Sanchez
Valencia, Spain