Andrei Podell

Andrei…

We had your memorial today. Marcelle recreated the altar from her home with your ashes, and lots of great pictures of you. Aubrey was the perfect leader, and the slideshow turned out great. A lot of people spoke, and….wow. And it was so nice to meet your sister and the friends that I had never met before. After the speaking, and the mingling, and the food…..Caity and Stefan and I stood outside and just said, “It was perfect.”

I guess the only thing that would have made it more perfect is if you could have been there. Physically, I mean. But I guess that feeling is not any different from any other day that I wish for you to be near me again.

The poem I read for everyone today….it seemed like exactly what you would be saying. I couldn’t even read it all the way through to myself this morning, and I didn’t think that there was any way I would make it through standing in front of everyone. My hands were shaking, but I made it through.

Andrei’s Poem (based on the poem Epitaph by Merritt Malloy)

When I die, if you weep

Cry for someone walking the street beside you

And when you need me, put your arms around others

And give to them what you need to give to me

When you need me, look for me

In the people I’ve known or loved

I’ve left you something

Something better than words or sounds

And when you want to show me your love

You can love me the most by letting hands touch hands

and souls touch souls

You can love me most by sharing your joys

and multiplying your kindnesses

You can love me most by letting me live in your deeds

and not on your mind

And when you think of me, remember what our hearts know

Love doesn’t die.

People do.

So when all that’s left of me is love,

Give me away.

I guess the only thing left to say, for today anyway, is to again say thank you for all that you are, all that you give….every single person who met you was a better person for it. And for me….the last 5 years of my life were truly blessed. I love you.

~M

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 4th, 2008 at 11:27 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.