I lost a friend today.
Kyle and I worked together on the road for a few months traveling to different cities in efforts to make folks more aware of the AIDS pandemic, specifically how it impacts children in Africa. It was tough, emotional work, but it was beautiful. We hit it off instantly and very quickly became close friends. Kyle was a tech guy, proud of his “nerd” status, but as far from being a nerd as possible. My outward personality was of great pleasure to him. He would soak up every conversation we had, every interaction he saw me have with others, and was quick to ask questions as to why and how I did things. I loved the revere he gave me, but mostly loved his hunger for knowledge and willingness to soak up new things. We were in sync, like-minded, kindred spirits.
Some situations out of my control made me come off the road and back to Nashville. Kyle stayed on, but didn’t handle things well with new team members. To make matters worse, he struggled with being bipolar and extreme sleep deprivation. We stayed close in touch, but as friends who have physical distance between them do, we didn’t communicate as much as we would like. Our conversations went from a few times a week to maybe once a month via text or chat. I hated that… mostly because I knew he was struggling with things. I made efforts at times and other times just kinda waited on him to take some initiative. I kinda regret that now.
I got the call today that Kyle had passed away due to complications with medicines and his body reacting to them. I’m sure there’s more to the story, but I won’t make an effort to learn more. It hurts to hear it. Immensely. I can’t say that it surprised me, but I can certainly say it brought heavy sorrow to my heart. I loved Kyle as a friend and a brother. I wish I could rewind and make every effort I could to call him, fly out to see him, and just encourage him in his journey. I know I can’t, but man… I wish I could.
Kyle loved life. He questioned faith and sought out truth for himself. He had intense compassion for those less fortunate than him and absolutely loved making a difference. We dreamed and schemed of ways to work together doing something big that would make an impact. We talked about life, love, faith, and all the struggles that come along with those things. There’s NOTHING I would love more than to be able to hop in the car with him for a road trip and have long talks about solving the world’s problems. I’d give anything.
I miss Kyle very, very much. I will always love him and will always consider him one my greatest friends.
