Stream of Consciousness. December 3, 2022
Back when I was getting to know Kyle, I called him out for having barriers. He was mildly offended and intrigued. When I later found out that his mother had been battling Multiple Sclerosis for several years, with many scares of losing her, I felt bad for even mentioning the barriers. He put on a good front. He was bubbly and outgoing. He was the life of every party and had this magnetism that brought even the shyest wallflower out of their shell. That itself was not the front. He was truly an amazing friend to everyone. But he did try to bury the hurt he was feeling constantly with having a mother who was dying. He did his absolute best to live in the moment, in every moment, during her last years. My goodness that man lived. Before I even knew the guy, I got a call from "some guy" in my ward asking me to go on a kayak trip down the river with him and some friends. I was totally broke at the time, so I declined. We chatted for a bit, and he did his best to convince me to co
