Friday, July 24, 2009

On behalf of all Karen's friends

Angela spoke on behalf of all the friends at the service and the words were perfect, please find them below.

Friends are the joyous, freely chosen part of our lives. We do not need to distinguish between those friendships that are either deep or transient. It is enough to know that there are powerful reasons why we create these bonds. Friendship defines what it means to be human.
Friends are rooted in the realities of our lives but when those realities are harsh our friends help make our lives endurable. We care for one another, we share in one another and even under the most trying of circumstances we can laugh with one another. The Greek philosopher Epicurus observed:
"Of all the things that wisdom provides to help one live one's life in happiness, the greatest by far is the possession of friendship."
Karen was an honest and truthful friend. She questioned our thinking of the world, tolerated the differences and sort to understand the anomalies. She possessed curiosity and was always willing to see more - do more - experience more.
I wanted to share some memories with you. And so looking in the rear view mirror my memory is of the first time Karen had been skiing.
She was introduced to a crowd of kiwis that, like Karen, only wanted to play on the slopes. Even on the first day my memory is of looking up the hill and seeing this picture of concentration and a very capable and undaunted person making her way down the slope. It summed up Karen completely - independent, strong willed and determined to make her own way.
However, it was a biking holiday that that I will remember most. A friend had decided he wanted to try some mountain biking in Colorado and Utah. It was an easy decision about whether to go and we were excited about the adventure.
The time started with a few small rides in each place we stopped. Never really knowing where the next town might be - some days we'd hire bikes - others we'd take a walk up a mountain into the snow. It was relaxing, simple and uncomplicated.
Utah especially is famous for slick rock. The scenery can only be described as spaghetti western inspired. Large mountains of rock, narrow paths and some steep downhill – all on rock and all on a mountain bike. This was scary stuff – and actually to be honest, not the smartest of things to attempt.
Like skiing - Karen was a demon mountain biker….
If she was worried about falling over the edge she never showed it. She was happy to lead from the front even when the path ahead wasn't clear. She wanted to get the most out of every moment.
This is Karen Whyman and I am so incredibly thankful that this inspiring and thought provoking woman was part of my life. Her memory serves to remind us to have faith in knowing that life is a truly beautiful event, that there are moments to be enjoyed every day and that those moments are even richer when shared with friends.
I will miss you dearly Karen.
For David and Eva, 22 July 2009

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