The Loss of a Friend

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a bit, but I recently suffered a loss which has been very saddening for me. 

As a Living Historian, you manage to get very close to the people who reenact, and relive history. This can be both good, and bad. You get to see people at their best, worst, and everything in between. You can grow friendships that are so strong, they last the decades. Or you can quickly grow to hate a person. There are fights and arguments, as well as long conversations about history and bonding.

But no matter what, we're always one big family. Living Historians and Reenactors stick together, through both good and bad, and recently, the hobby took a major hit when we lost Chris. 

Chris was in a car accident early last week, which caused major injuries. He passed away Friday, at 6:25pm, surrounded by family and friends.

I first met Chris on Facebook, when he saw a post I made about needing mittens for an upcoming event. We agreed upon an even sway: he would trade me a pair of hand-knit period mittens, and I would take his photos at the event. He greeted me with a huge smile the morning of his photo-shoot  and was cracking jokes the entire time. I spent maybe half an hour with him, helping him pose, taking shot after shot.

He was an absolute joy to work with, and he was very upbeat and excited for the photos to be edited, and sent to him. He was probably my biggest supporter after that event, always encouraging me to come out and take photos, giving me suggestions on what I should charge, more photo-shoot ideas, etc. We talked on Facebook at least 4 times a week after that, cultivating the beginnings of a great friendship...until I heard the news that he was in a car accident.

Chris was an amazing young man, with high goals for his life, and a heart bigger than most people I have met. Almost every time I saw him, he had a big smile on his face, and his humor for life was infectious. He could make you laugh at the drop of a hat, and was always looking out for other people. He was a gentleman, and an absolute joy to talk with, joke with, and laugh with.

He was a beloved member of the Missouri Irish Brigade, and one hell of a reenactor. He knew quite a bit for a kid his age, and what he didn't know, he was more than happy to study and find out.

We lost a wonderful young man, when Chris decided his time here on Earth was over. While I cannot speak for his heartbroken family, I take solace in the fact that Chris is being cradled in the arms of the Goddess, whose eternal love and life-giving womb ensure that his soul's journey is not over yet.

His next life will be filled with all of the most wonderful experiences, and it will be a long and joyous one.

We will miss you Chris. 

Go your way to the land of the Ancestors, 

where they wait for you with open arms, 

there on the edge between this world and the next.  

See; there they stand. 

Ancestral spirits, welcome this one to the place where we all must go.

Love and Lightning Bugs,