Today. David 10. 1988-2010.

Today ranks in the top 10 days of my life.

Today, we said goodbye to David Johnson.  I met David nearly two years ago when he

entered his first year of Starfire U.  David was a wizard with people and over the past

two years, I had the pleasure of watching him work his magic on a daily basis.  I told him

more than once how great he was at giving compliments.  It was impossible not to get a

big head around David.  Everyone “looked nice” and felt great when he was around.  For

the past two weeks, since we learned of his passing, I’ve definitely felt the void he left. 

Today, we spent time remembering, grieving and celebrating together.  Some of us cried

and told stories of loss, some of us laughed about funny things he would do or say,

others mustered up the courage to say goodbye to our dear friend, and all of us leaned

on each other all day.   I love this picture of him and sent it out to some of his friends

when he died.  I love it because of his smile and because it’s in the Starfire U Commons,

which he was so happy about and proud of.  This was taken at the Grand Opening of the

space in April, and if you were there, you remember David because he was the host and

tour guide for everyone. 

Today, I love this picture for a different reason:  David was a Mormon, and as we prayed

and listened to his friends and family tell stories at his church, I was reminded that

Mormons pray with their arms folded, just like David is doing here.  I know that David is

praying for all of us now and doing just what he did in his time with us:  making sure

everyone’s alright, sharing his spirit with us as we navigate our days, and helping us love

each other a little more than we did yesterday.