My friend Tim had an exuberance for life that was infectious.  No matter what he was engaged in, he experienced and spoke about it as if it were an adventure or discovery of something new.  He relished each day and all the new opportunities to learn and grow.  From the moment my husband and I met him, he opened his heart and home to us.  As I got to know him, I learned so much about how to savor the simplest moments of life.   When we went for a walk, he would be still and listen for the birds, trying to identify each new tweet or song.  When he cooked, he added so much love and intention into every aspect of the food's preparation that the feeding became a "love feast".  When he listened to me, he was attentive and asked interesting questions that allowed me to see the world differently.  After spending a day or evening with Tim, my life felt more energized and wondrous.  

Tim was diagnosed in his thirties with end stage colon cancer and I was privileged to be part of a group of friends and family that companioned him through the last year and months of his life.  Tim rarely spoke of his dying, and spent his days living intentionally and savoring everything...from the morning dew on the grass...to the sound of a car pulling up on his gravel driveway; nothing escaped his senses.  One of the last days I spent with Tim, before he was unable to get into a wheel chair, was a trip to a local beach/park.  Even though he was in pain and could not maneuver well, he asked me to take him to this place he loved so much so that we could be still and listen.  We shared these moments of silence, savoring the laughter of children, the birds flying and swooning into the sand and the warmth of the sun on our faces, and we left feeling very much alive. 

My story with Tim is not mine alone.  As I listened to stories from his friends and family they would mirror my experience over and over again.  Tim had a gift for living a vibrant and rich life that he passed on to many of us who knew him.  There is not a season that goes by that I don't hear his voice reminding me of the gifts that each season has to offer.  There is not a moment when, if I am intentionally preparing food, he is not by my side.  In my attempts to live mindfully and savior each moment, he is still a role model for me; beckoning me to be still, listen and wait. 

Tim passed on surrounded by an immense amount of love.  The legacy of love, and the example he set in living an exuberant life filled with adventure and discovery is an extraordinary gift he leaves behind and for this I am grateful.