Cameron

If memory serves me correctly, today is the five-year anniversary of the day the world lost our dear friend Cameron Phelan. In some ways I find it hard to believe that it's already been five years. In other ways it seems much longer.
Cameron was a wonderful person. He had lots of loyal friends, ranging from childhood classmates to older friends first met online like Paul. Cameron was unfailingly kind and easygoing, even when others were not kind to him. Like myself, I know he wasn't all that happy with things in his life like his career, his weight, or a seeming lack of constancy from the friends he loved. (And that lack of constancy was merely seeming as evidenced from the outpouring at his funeral.) But, one thing I'll always admire about Cameron was that no matter what was going on with himself, he was dedicated to those around him and always brought forth joy and laughter. He was an extremely talented humorist and a fearlessly game performer. He was passionate about things that interested him and laughed in the face of societal conventions which did not.
Loosing Cameron was a tough lesson (not learned well enough, I fear) in not taking friends for granted. It was a supremely bittersweet time -- he died in between the short period of us finally completing our China adoption dossier and it being officially logged in to the waiting list. Because of this it seemed only natural that we honor Cameron's memory through our daughter that he never got to meet. For this reason we plan to name our little girl Edythe Cameron Parker.