The Lord in his Mercy allowed me to be friends with such a great person. I met him as I was paving the pathways for my life. At the time, I was trying to figure out what direction I was going to go. I remember our first date just after I had turned 16. We went bowling at the 49th Street Galleria. The entire time I was there, I had such a peaceful feeling. It literally felt as though I was being told, “these are the type of boys you should be getting to know.” Boys who are upstanding young men striving to live the gospel. A boy who wasn’t afraid to stand up for what he believed as well as to treat others with such respect and care.
I was lucky enough to maintain that friendship and a few months later, when I lost my brother to an accident, Craig was such a support to me. He talked with me, allowed me to cry on his shoulder and shared his testimony often of eternal families.
When it came time to go on his mission, his excitement could hardly be contained. As soon as he learned he was called to Argentina, he wanted to know everything he could about the culture, the people, and prepared himself as thoroughly as he could. He lived to serve people! He loved people. He cared for and sought to make everyone feel welcome as a friend.
My mother and I sat together last night thinking of all of the wonderful memories we have of him. One of our favorites was watching him at his farewell leading the primary in song. Those kids sang with all their hearts because they adored Craig. He inspired them through his example to love music and sing with their testimonies.
I recently caught up with his mother and sister at the grocery store. I asked them how Craig was doing with the loss of his hand and whether he had been able to get a prosthetic. They responded that he had many of them. They were his toys.
When he got his first hook, he thought it was time for a celebration! So, he hosted a pirate party. Wood plank across the pool and all! An amazing attitude about life. He truly believed that it doesn’t matter what challenges come our way, we can get through them. We just have to find a way.
He said it better than I ever could: “The atonement of Christ brings peace and healing “that surpass all understanding”. We come to know ourselves and we come to know God through our trials. We are surrounded by miracles. When we trade self pity for humility, our eyes are opened to see them... Wahoo for the resurrection!”
A couple of weeks ago, I had an opportunity to chat with him a little and catch up briefly. The main thing that we ended up discussing was about our similar desire to want to do everything we could. He finished by conveying his excitement for eternity when he could have absolutely no limitation to do it all. I hope he is enjoying every minute of being able to learn and do new and exciting things without the limitation of our imperfect bodies and limited understanding.
With the parting of Craig, I have the comfort of maintaining the hallowed memories that he gave as such a wonderful friend. I sincerely hope that he finds great joy in his new mission. Who knows, perhaps he can be companions with my brother who shared much of the same passion for life.
My heart goes out to his family at this time. May the Lord comfort and bless them. And may they cherish the many memories they have of him. If by chance they do read this, I have many more memories to add if they would ever like to hear them. He was a great man. And I am honored to have known such a Christlike person.
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