Tribute to a Lost Friend

On Monday, my cousin Jeffery went backcountry snowboarding with a friend and his trusty dog, Bo.  His friend completed the run before Jeff and Bo and waited at the bottom, but they didn’t show up.  He caught a ride to the top and went down two more times looking for Jeff but did not have any success.  The friend then notified the authorities and they began to search for my cousin.  The weather was not good in the area and the location was at a high risk for avalanche.  The friend has noticed a small snow slide behind them while coming down the run, but still had a visual on Jeff and Bo until a short time later. 

Weather and conditions dictated that the search be called off that night, but a command unit was stationed at the trail head in case Jeff made it down during the night.  Even though conditions in the area were still sketchy the search resumed Tuesday morning.  Friends and rescuers combed the area utilizing all available resources to try and give him the best opportunity to get back to his friends and family.   A report got out through the rumor mill that they had found his body and that he didn’t make it.  The rumor was quickly dispelled, but it was an eerie foreshadowing event that, for the first time, made me realize that this saga might not have a happy ending.   

Once again, the search had to be called of that night due to conditions but it resumed at first light Wednesday morning.  I received a call from my folks around noon that they had recovered his body buried in the snow and that he was no longer with us. 

Jeff was family – Jeff was a friend, but the truth is that we had lost touch over the past 10 years.  Jeff was always off living life to the fullest and wasn’t the kind of cousin that was at every holiday and family gathering.  He had invited me to Colorado several times to stay with him and go snowboarding and I always thought we would have a blast together.  I had every intention of going but was guilty of being too wrapped up in my own life and not finding the time to make it actually happen.

It is not like we didn’t get along; every time we saw each other we had a great time.  I always looked forward to seeing him, enjoyed his company and we had common interests in wakeboarding and snowboarding.  It is sad that we didn’t spend more time together as adults.  Even though he was five years younger than I was, we spent a lot of time together as kids.  In many ways, he was like a little brother.  I would pick on him, we would fight, we would cause mischief and it was always great fun.  We were the only two kids at the family gatherings growing up, but I think we got the attention and caused the trouble equal to an army of kids.

Most of us get so caught up in our daily lives, our problems, our agendas and our activities that we sometimes don’t put the effort into relationships that we have with family and friends  like we should.  We all have relationships that we take for granted and think will always be there.  Sometimes you don’t realize a special relationship or special memories that you may have missed out on until it is too late.  I think it is important to live life to the fullest – to live without any regret and to treat each opportunity, each encounter, and each conversation like it may be the last. 

I truly believe that Jeff lived life to the fullest.  He had the courage and the sense of adventure to pursue the kind of lifestyle and take the kind of chances that most of us only fantasize about when we are teenagers.  He spent is summers by the water, and his winters in the snow.  Living life was what mattered to him, not material things or fitting in to the mold of what society tells us we should be at every step of our lives.  He had the courage to make his own mold.  He had the spirit to blaze his own trails.  To those of us who knew him, his 26 years were not enough on this earth.  There were many adventures left undone and many areas left unexplored.  Although we may not understand the reasons why, I do believe everything happens according to God’s grand plan. 

Jeff – I am sorry we didn’t have more time together in the past few years, but I am thankful for the time that we did have.  I have always admired your adventurous spirit.  You always showed courage that I have never possessed and lived life to the fullest because of it.  I am glad that you got to spend your last day on earth doing something you loved with your trusty companion.  A friend of mine once told me that people live eternally on earth by the memories they leave behind and the impact they have on those around them.  I think you had an impact on everyone you touched and have left many fond memories with many people.  Your spirit will live on, but you will be missed.