Thank You Bryan, Habitat, AmeriCorps, Seacoast, & South Carolina

Time is so funny. Sometimes a day seems to last forever; other times it's hard to get a breath in. Around this time every January I am reminded of South Carolina & my year of service. I always remember that Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a National Day of Service, & I will never forget that chilly Monday when I dragged Bryan to work with, & we led a group of high school honor society students as they painted the interiors of Miss Stacy & Miss Diane's houses, as well as working on the yards of all five Blitz Build houses & Miss Minnie's. I can't believe it's been almost four years since I moved back up here. I can't believe it's been almost 4 years since so many things changed.

Bryan passed away four years ago on the 23rd, & it's always a bittersweet memory. That's odd to say about the untimely death of someone you care about, but I can't help but find the good in losing Bryan. It's not all good, & I know that. My heart breaks for his beautiful children - Ryleigh & Drake - for his parents, sisters, ex-wife, friends, & other family. But I decided when Bryan died that I needed to find the good in it, somehow, & understand that God just needed him more than we did. Losing Bryan taught me things about religion & faith & friendship & love. Losing Bryan made me realize that my best friend in all of South Carolina was my almost 50-year-old boss. At 5:30 on our one day off, he & his wife were at my side in a heartbeat. From then on, I recognized what a wonderful friend I had in Steve & in his family as well. It was losing Bryan that made my friendship with Matt via the internet become much stronger, eventually leading to our dating & my life now. It was losing Bryan that taught me how good some people are... when I felt like I had no one, my friends from Seacoast (the church I attended & miss terribly!) were there in a heartbeat. Pastor Larry & his lovely wife Nan were there with phone calls & kind words. Suzanne stepped in as a grief counselor for me & met with me each week in the children's rooms at church to help me deal with my sadness. Connally & Beth were amazing & gave me their frequent flier miles to send me home to be with family for a few days. I couldn't believe the overwhelming kindness of my Seacoast friends - Larry & Nan, Suzanne, Beth & Connally, KT & AnneMarie, Grange, Katie, Mr. Dave, Rich, & so many others were so wonderful. I'll never forget their kindness. I owe them much more than they will ever understand.
I also found kindness in the hearts of my co-workers, homeowners, volunteers, & fellow AmeriCorps. I'll never forget Kelly, Simon, & Ben coming up to our place & staying the weekend to cheer me up. We drank too much & went mini-golfing & rode go-carts & climbed some rock walls. Those friends, along with Steve & Julie & their entire family, Anna, Ken & his family, Sam & Tammy, Roy, Melanie, Ramsey, Sonya, the 'Grumpies,' & even my homeowners, Frank, Miss Diane, Miss Minnie, Miss Pat, Miss Carla, Miss Stacy, Miss Mary, the Katrina families, & so many others, were so unbelievably kind to a damn yankee from Massachusetts.
Imagine where my life would be if not for the events of January 23rd, 2006. I had intended on completing a second year until that day. I had considered staying down there permanently. I would not have begun studying for MTEL tests to teach in Massachusetts. I would not have moved home in July or moved to an apartment in Reading with Cole. I'm not sure I would have developed the wonderful relationships as I did. So many things stemmed from that one day, both good & bad, that I can't help but remember Bryan around this time every year & say a little thank you to him.