Not tears, but Gratitude spilling out

I’ll set the scene: It’s a quiet early morning towards the end of May here in Portsmouth. I seem to have woken Clooney up today at about 4:30, and as usual my four legged soulmate sprang out of bed in anticipation of his first meal! Yesterday was a long, but great day filled with love as we celebrated the life of David Krempels in a wonderful reception at the KBIC’s home, Portsmouth’s beautiful community campus. I was honored to share a few words about my own relationship with the amazingly compassionate and generous David. Perhaps riding a wave of appreciation and awe, I seem to be full of energy as Clooney leads us through the eerily quiet and beautiful Market Square. Making our final turn towards home it feels as if I must have gotten some debris in my eyes as the moisture blurs my vision. Wait a minute…am I crying?

It’s interesting, despite the great loss that is David’s passing and my own grief having lost such an amazing friend, I haven’t shed any tears over the last few weeks, but have experienced the loss with rushes of gratitude for and amazement at David’s life. Maybe this is repressed grief that I’ve been holding in? But wait a minute, I feel a smile curving my mouth and joy in my heart as I sit here at my computer. Any grief I feel is quickly overtaken as I think of David’s legacy. Legacy according to Merriam Webster- something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.

The true legacy David gifted to brain injury survivors is literally a center where the foundation for a New Life After Brain Injury is built. His spirit is alive and well at KBIC where I can almost see his smiling face and hear “Good Morning from David,” during member introductions!