My friend, and friend to many, Rob Adams passed away last night. I had the privilege of knowing Rob first in Junior High and then became much closer friends with him in Highschool. Although this is a tremendous loss for the world (he really was that kind of guy), I can't help but think about him and start smiling.
Really, it's impossible to think about the essence of Rob, and not smile - or laugh, out loud to yourself.
The Rob I remember the most vividly is from highschool. In my movie of life, the Rob Adams montage (with accompanying soundtrack) would definitely include senior year at SHS:
Making Betty Crocker Brownies from a mix every other night while my parents were in Europe.
Watching/listening to him sing Karaoke "Nothing Compares to You" with Kenny Barton and Troy Thompson in the great room at 1 am.
He'd ride my parents dorky little red scooter all over the Cove, taking it off of jumps and bringing it back with a few new details (ok, scratches).
He'd say hilarious things and then not laugh at himself, but just get a Mona Lisa smile as if he was making a joke personally for you. (It's been a long time since I've hung out with Rob - I wonder if he still did that later in his life? His wit and sense of humor seem to have carried him even in the most trying of times.)
My flashbacks also include a Christmas about 15 years ago. Rob and I were in the same ward (church) and as one of activities the youth were delivering cookies to the widows... and I, in my driving stupidity, plowed directly into Rob's shiny beautiful truck as I was backing up. HUGE dent - tons of damage. I felt horrible and of course had to tell him.
Funny thing about Rob, he's so generous... and so quick to forgive. I think about all he said was 'that sucks,' but he never got mad at me - he didn't freak out...(and this was at Skyline Highschool where it seemed our boys' favorite past included making girls feel crappy!) ... his comment was more like he was saying 'It sucks that something bad had to happen' than an indictment. He just put his arm around me, told me not to worry about it (drove around with a dented car until it got fixed) and just continued on with life... trying to cheer me up when I'm the one that screwed up his car!!!
And to me, that kind of illustrates his temperament, his character...a stand up guy.
Something terrible happens - and he has a moment of 'that sucks' -- and then smiles and gets back to work... or tries to cheer up his friends.
He brought so much joy into our lives.
Facebook has BLOWN UP with comments about care, concern and love for this tremendous individual.
Rob is a fighter. Several years ago, Rob was in a terrible car accident that left him paralyzed.
He shares details of the story on his blog.
Rob and I were great friends as teenagers... and then, as so often is the case, life happens. I left Utah for a while, pursued a career and lost touch with Rob. But I am so thankful to have reconnected with him in the past few years -- even if it's just been through email, blogging and facebook.
I know there are so many of you out there that were so close to Rob -- much closer than I ever was. But I also know that my life is richer because I got to reconnect with him.
I hope, before he passed, that he got a chance to understand that people really loved him - tremendously. That Rob was (and is) someone who made you feel good - he made you cherish the past, appreciate and deal with the present, and look towards the future.
For those of you that didn't know Rob, believe me when I say that
the world is a better place because of him. In a small, and --in many cases -- great ways he affected so many lives. It's weird to think of the world with out him. He will be so missed.
I hope you will keep his family and those closest to him in your thoughts and prayers.
And since we don't have 25 Christmas books, we just borrowed a few from the grandparents and checked some out from the (government run, socialist neighborhood) Library. It's been fun. I even picked up 'The White Nights of Ramadan" to make sure we are appreciating other cultures. Now I just need to add one about Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, and of course: Hanukkah.
