Spinning, spinning, spinning

Wow, my head is spinning. Lots of thoughts, ideas, emotions, memories, visuals and other stuff going through my mind right now. I just got back from Greg Abbott's memorial service (artistic director at DramaTech, my college theater). It was a good service. Very fitting of Greg and of the theater. Lots of people there. Lots of DT alumni from all generations. Lots of faces I recognized. Some old friends I got to reconnect with. Lots of stories and hugs, tears and memories. There was a bit of singing, some poetry read, lots of people shared what Greg meant to them and some funny stories. Greg meant a lot of things to a lot of people. And this was an opportunity to talk about that, to grieve together as a group, to say good-bye, to let his family know how much he meant to us. I'm so glad I was able to be there. There's some things that I've come to understand that you don't miss. Funerals and weddings are high up on the list. In the culture I live in, we don't have a lot of rites of passage or times when people all come together as a community to celebrate things. I've found it to be important to not miss those few opportunities that we do have, even if it requires extraordinary time and monetary outlay. I've always found that the cost is well worth it. And tonight was no exception.

At one point, a guy named Aaron came up to me to say hi. He said that he didn't have a lot to say to me, but I was the person who got him into DramaTech. He didn't say thank you in so many words, but I'm pretty sure that's what he meant. To be honest, I had forgotten about Aaron until I saw him. And I remember him only as one of the kids on one of my set crews. He was a good guy. Hard worker and friendly. I guess at some point, I gave him a chance, or maybe some encouragement or quite possibly both. Somewhere along the line, I made a difference in his life. He didn't say thank you out loud, but I heard it just the same.

Michael, Greg's son spoke. I didn't recognize him at first. He had a hard time speaking, which was completely understandable. One of the things that he said was that he didn't realize what an impact his dad had on so many people. I don't know if Greg knew how much he had impacted so many. I'm pretty sure he had some idea. He was a part of our lives, and we were a part of at least part of his. But I'm not certain anyone knows the extent to which they affect people's lives.

There's so much more to think about and possibly write about, but I'm getting tired. It's been an emotionally expensive afternoon and evening and I think I'm ready to go do some reading and go to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day. Travel days always are.

Some things that I learned:
- Even if the cost is great, it's still important to be at weddings and especially funerals.
- "Chances are important." That is, giving people a chance to do something, even if they may not be ready for it, is an important thing to do.
- That tennis ball you picked up in the park yesterday...you really should leave it in your pocket, cause it might come in handy when you're out to dinner with friends and one of the little kids spies a decorative bowl of glass balls and wants to play.
- I need to say thank you more often and to more people, especially those who have made an impact in my life. I shouldn't wait until they're dead or until there's a major life change on the horizon.
- Egon's still tall.
- It's weird to see some people not only married but with multiple kids. Watching your friends also be parents is sometimes just a little odd.