Just because it’s Facebook, doesn’t mean it’s trite.  Without it, I would have never found out about my old co-worker passing away earlier this year.  His wife had posted a photo of his gravestone and it stared at me with a starkness that made my heart ache.  Adrianne was his name but he spelled it Adrian back then.  His nickname was Zenmaster.  He was wise beyond his years and although he was younger than me and technically I was his supervisor, I endearingly called him Kuya which means brother in my native language, Tagalog.  He was silly and funny, thoughtful and serious at times.  He held a presence that was so endearing, I couldn’t help but think of him as my brother, albeit only a work one.  I remember when he told me about his wife.  I was heading towards a divorce then, and although I was so alone,  I wasn’t too bitter to be so happy for other people falling in Love.  Even though they had known each other for years, because he was at the doorway of a very grand Love, he was excited and nervous.  So much so that he actually asked me for advise – where to take his lovely Trixy or what to get her.  His excitement and nervousness it reminded me that Love is like that.  It can shake you to the core.  It SHOULD shake you to the core if you are open and vulnerable enough which Kuya seemed to always be.  That’s the thing about vulnerability and openness, it actually takes strength.  If you are really strong, you have nothing to hide.

I’m so grateful to have known such a beautiful soul. May you rest in peace, Kuya.