It takes Courage

It takes a lot of courage to endure some of the trials that come into your life. I cannot seem to express it the right way, but I would like to write about my dear friend Kit.
Back in the summer of 2000 I was engaged (but not to Brian). In the fall, things turned south (and we didn't marry) but now I was attending a single's ward where I hadn't made any friends. Not making friends might have been the stupidest thing I could've done, but the kindest thing that could have resulted from that loneliness was because of a guy named Kit Lindsay. I remember sitting in Sacrament meeting, and hating sitting alone. I questioned if I had just made the biggest mistake of my life (ending the engagement). Not a soul in that chapel knew it had happened. I don't know if that was a relief or made it harder to bear. At any rate, I remember distinctly my vow of finding a new ward to make a fresh start. No sooner had the sacrament meeting ended, than this tall, lanky fellow make his way to my bench, introduce himself as Kit and before I know it he's got me by my elbow and leading me to person after person, introducing me left and right until I'm sure I couldn't remember any more names/faces. His genuine motives that day were the purest form of the love of Christ. 3 years in that singles ward brought about an enormous fold of friends, some of which I became roommates with, the best of which I married! Singles Wards rotate very frequently due to it's very nature (schooling, careers, home-buying, marriage), so there was a time when my core group of friends were moving on, and Kit was one of them. He moved down to Las Vegas to go to Law School. I remember visiting him once. I don't remember how long it was after that that I learned he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. My very life was changing too...Brian and I had married, moved to Logan, UT; Brian received his BA and MS, and we moved to where we are now (San Marcos, CA) and started a family. Life comes at you quick, but it wasn't until this past Christmas when I received an email from Trina that my many 'wonderings' about Kit and his condition were made known. Trina wrote that he doesn't have a lot of time (6 months was the estimate). She was requesting memories to be written down and sent to her to share with Kit. I told myself that it would be okay to respond later; after all we were traveling to SLC for Christmas anyway...we'll hook up with Trina, Brittany & Steve and visit him too. When that didn't happen, and we were traveling home, my heart ached as I thought about him and my lack of commitment to visit. This past month when I went to visit UT, I made certain I went to see him too. It was raining outside (like it had all week) but inside his cozy room, Brian, Angela & I felt rays of sunshine when we asked how he was and his classic "Unbelievable!" answer struggled from his lips. He didn't recognize us at first, but as we started talking about the past, he put us all in the correct memories. At one point he looked at me and said, "I saw you, sitting alone, and I said to myself, 'that ain't right'." Tears of gratitude for sharing 'his side' of the story flowed from my eyes. Does one always remember kind things they do for other people...especially when they're life-changing for that person? I don't think so. I'm glad he remembered this time though. We watched the DVD that Trina and Brittany made for him with the compilations for those that answered her email last Christmas. The DVD has been played so much that it turns that pixelated green at some points. I need to email Julie or Trina to see who has the master copy to make him another one. Julie played Kit's favorite Hymn "Abide with Me". Memories of my own came flooding back. *Every Sunday after church (we were always the last ward to meet) he and Julie would head to the chapel and she would play hymn after hymn for him, but always ending with Abide with Me. *His "So, I almost bought a boat the other day..." conversation starter was the his most commonly used phrase when changing the current conversation. He used it only when the conversation was heading down the wrong path. I think some people were quite surprised at about how many times he almost bought that boat! *He never watched any movie that was rated higher than PG. (I used to argue with him over that one...but he certainly had the more righteous eyesight out of all of us) *Working for Holladay, he used to take me around to the 'eye sores' of the neighborhoods where he would have to approach the owners about 'cleaning up their yard' (whew...that is not fun!) *I had my first taste of lobster when he took me to a holiday black tie formal. He even introduced me to the mayor. *He was affectionately known as 'the gov'na' because he was so politically involved. He recruited many friends to be more involved in their community. *Then, his title 'the gov'na' extended to 'gov'na of Kitland' when he showed me a piece of mail addressed to him (at his city office bldg) as "Kitland Zee" He got such a kick out of that one! *He is still a true inspiration when I think about how to teach a lesson...he was the best teacher of Gospel Doctrine, ever! Brian remembers his lesson about the armor of God. Being the true cowboy that he is, he brought cowboy boots, hat, buckle, etc. I remember he would ask a question and then fold his arms, lean back on the table and wait..and wait (if necessary). He would hit some pretty core doctrine too...I loved it! He is such an example! God bless him for his endurance here on this earth
I will never forget our visit with him. It had been 6 months since the Christmas email, I am so glad we were able to reconnect and have some laughs again.
Because he went to Law school and Brian and I got married, we lost touch, but in his room was a book shelf full (stuffed) of law books and such. I think I asked him, "So, how did that law degree treat you?" He looked at me and said, "I have a nephew that wants to go to law school, and I'm going to give him all of these books. But I've been trying to worn him, it...is...bor-ing!" We all had a good laugh at that answer. He's so politically charged, and was so excited about going to Law School...only to come to this conclusion. Well, perhaps he gained a more eternal perspective on things in this life as his health has declined. He saw the trap of too many hours spent at work and didn't find the practice to be intriguing enough to compensate time lost with the family and friends. Love you Kit! Your mansion awaits you, of that I am sure!