“Don’t wait until your life is almost over to realize how great it has been!”
Today I had to pull a bunch of old photos from years past together for a project and as I was sorting through years and years worth of photos I couldn’t help but be pulled into a walk down memory lane. And do you know what I loved best about that…I love that taking that walk down memory lane brought so many happy moments back to mind and they brought a smile to my face…which I greatly appreciated because today happens to be a tough day for me each year as October 16th is the day that one of my best friends, Steve Gasser, passed away.
It was seven years ago today that Steve died unexpectedly. I still remember exactly how I felt the day I found out he was gone. Here is a copy of the blog I wrote that very day:
Saturday, October 16, 2010 – BE THE STEVE IN SOMEONE`S LIFE…
Without a doubt, tonight`s tweet is the hardest one I have ever had to write. This morning when I had just entered the park at Disneyland my cell phone rang with a call telling me that my very dearest friend, Steve Gasser, had passed away without warning today. He was riding in a bicycle race when he suddenly collapsed, never to wake up again. I don`t even know how to put into words the way I am feeling. Shock, unbelievable sadness, and a deep sense of loss. The loss of a best friend…
I wish everyone in the world was lucky enough to have a friend like Steve. I cannot tell you how lucky I was to have him in my life for many many years. I first met Steve when I was just 17 years old and a freshman at BYU. In the last ten years or so of my life Steve has been my best friend, to both me and my children, and eventually it was because of Steve that I ended up meeting my husband Rollin. You see three years ago Steve talked me into going on a Lake Powell trip with him that I was not planning to attend because of how much was going on with work at the time, but Steve refused to take no for an answer and he convinced me that I should go. It was on that trip that Rollin and I met and were married shortly thereafter. Steve was the guy that while I was a single mother, would come over on Sunday nights to help my son work on getting his eagle scout. Steve was the guy that would come and change your tire in the middle of the night when you were stranded in the middle of nowhere. Steve was the guy that would drop everything just to give you a hug and tell you how great you were. Steve was not only my best friend but he became my husband’s best friend as well. We both loved Steve dearly.
Steve was the kind of friend that was always there for you no matter what. He was never judgmental of your silly mistakes or your personality quirks, he loved you unconditionally. He was always smiling, no matter what. He always found a way to make you laugh and to cheer you up from even the darkest of moods. He lived his life with absolute and total integrity in every way. He said what he believed and his actions proved his believes even louder than his words. He was generous to a fault, giving to everyone all the time, even total strangers. He loved his family. He loved his friends. Anyone who knew Steve loved him. I have never heard anyone speak an unkind word about Steve Gasser. He was a truly great man.
I am going to miss Steve more than I can ever express in words. Sitting here tonight I am not even sure how I am supposed to get past this. I wasn’t sure if I would tweet about this or not because his friendship and his memory is so sacred to me, but I decided it would be good for me to get out how I feel tonight, and to let every one of you know that all of us would be so lucky as to have a Steve in our lives, and even more importantly, every one of us should try out best to be the Steve in someone else’s life. —-(end of 2010 post)
I am grateful that I get to have all my happy memories of the Steve was a part of my life as well as all the other happy memories that I cherish from my past.
I strongly suggest taking a walk down memory lane – go through old photos and watch your old videos and take a little time to relish all your amazing memories.
~Amy Rees Anderson
