"Don't say goodbye, my heart could never bear to bid farewell,
Just you nearby, means more to me than I could ever tell."

These are some of the lyrics to a song that I declare to be precious to me and to my soul. In its full form, it's a song about someone singing a song about their Savior, entitled The Galilean Sand, by LDS Song Artist Jeff Goodrich, but these few words seemed to convey a bit of the emotion that I feel right now.

Why, you ask? A friend of mine died last week from health complications that they were trying to figure out but suddenly, he had just passed away. I got a phone call regarding this even just today. His funeral was today and neither I, nor my friend who informed me, knew until just today.

Raymes, my friend, I am sorry I was never as patient or understanding as your spirit tried to show. Your excitement for life, although you showed it in your own quiet way, was truly admirable and amazing. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to meet you before I did. I'm glad to have known you on Werehollow and to have met you in person the times that I did. You enjoyed things always with such a sweet, child-like quality and while many times I did not know what to make of you, I was always glad for your friendship. Someone to talk to. Someone to discuss things with. Someone with whom I could be so pleasantly surprised because for all the time that you considered yourself so plain in your own mind, you shared a lot of wisdom that left me speechless now and then. You gave me a lot of food for thought and I thank you for being that part of my life that helped me to realize more of myself than I knew before. Thank you for living that part of this earth's existence that helped me cherish another friend.

It is at times like this that I don't know how exactly to feel. I wasn't there for the core of the awesomeness that was before I came upon the scene, but...I know that all is well with you now and you are likely happier than you were before. I clasp your hand in welcome and farewell and pray that you will find rest to your soul now. I will think of you and smile, knowing to whose arms you fly now. God bless you, my cherished friend. I hope to see you again, someday, and pray that you find the happiness that you struggled so much with in this life. Thank you for what you were in my life. Farewell.

PS. If you're interested in hearing the full song, I found it here on YouTube. [link]