Having walked in the candlelight memorial and attended the funeral services, I’m left with one feeling that outweighs sadness. It’s inspiration. Physically seeing the number of people that Craig touched was incredible. The director of the funeral home in Frankiln, Massachusetts said that Craig’s service was possibly the largest turn-out he’d seen in his 40 years in the business. His friends and family filled every room and stood in the doorway while those able to speak shared stories and vignettes of Craig’s all-too-short life. And well over a hundred people joined in the candlelight memorial in Brooklyn to show their love and support.
What happened was a tragedy–senseless and unfair. But it doesn’t have to be all for naught. I will stumble away from this situation with the conviction that I can be a better person and that I too can move a great number of people. And it’s not as if Craig was sacrificing his personal enjoyment or breaking his back for the good of humanity. He simply respected others, did what he thought a good person should do and always looked for the positive spin on things. Craig was good at life and I’m going to do what I can to pick up where he left off.
Here is how we remembered him last Sunday. The displays of love and emotion were among the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.