My Hero

I have met so many people in my life who are the epitome of good; the epitome of honesty; the epitome of love and of happiness and of courtesy. However, of these people, there are very, very few who I can call my Hero. One of those individuals is Claire Morgan Murray.

Claire was a very dear friend of mine growing up. We met for the first time as performers in the theatre, something we both had an endless love for, and we never really grew apart. Claire was a year older than I, but she was, and remains still today, one of the kindest, most caring people I have ever met. Claire would go out of her way just to try to make your life a bit brighter, and she didn't even expect or want any thanks in return. She always had a smile on her face and a kind word on her tongue, and she would always lend an ear to listen to your meaningless complaints and sorrows. Sadly, Claire passed away on September 13, 2005 at the young age of 13, the result of a fatal and incurable disease. Despite her young age, Claire's passing was mourned by thousands of people from within the local area and beyond. Every person she touched shed tears upon hearing the news, and even unknown strangers were said to have recognized her picture as "the girl with the infectious good mood."

But despite her charm, none of these is the reason why I consider Claire to be one of my heroes. During the last months of her life, Claire was fully aware of the effects of the disease, and that she would likely not live to see her 14th birthday. And yet, despite this knowledge, her personality remained as loving and caring as ever. Claire would still lend an ear to listen to your petty problems and comfort you, all the while knowing that her very life hung in balance. Rather than feeling sorry for herself and making others feel sorry for her, Claire lived her life to the absolute fullest, taking advantage of every moment she had to do what she loved to do. I hope that someday, whether long in the future or quite soon, I can find even half of the strength and charm that Claire embraced in her final moments of life.

And So... Goodbye

I've never been very good at saying goodbye. Which is why I'm sitting here wishing that tomorrow would never come. Tomorrow, I will say goodbye to so many incredible individuals and incredible friends, but more importantly, I will say goodbye to everything that I've known for the last three months. Though the events of this summer were far from perfect, I have loved every second I've been privileged enough to be here, and if I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. Mere words can never describe the plethora of emotions which I am feeling right now, and which I will be feeling even stronger tomorrow. As I leave the Hangar Theatre for one last time tomorrow night, I will do so as a different person than I was three months ago, ready to march forward into the setting sun and begin on life's next journey.

Here's to the nights that turned into mornings,
the strangers that turned into friends,
and the friends that turned into family.

R