Wish I knew you...wait, I did

The Revivalists’ song "Wish I Knew You" was always a favorite of mine and Chip's (we really liked the official video for the song too, which can be viewed here). The song held special meaning for us since we met late in life, long after our carefree days of young adulthood. Every time we heard the song, or spoke about how his diagnosis would cut our time together short, we lamented that we hadn’t known each other when we were young.

Sometimes, we envisioned what our relationship would have been like if we met in our late teens or early 20’s rather than our 40’s and 50’s. We would joke about how many children we would have had together…8?…10?..since we both enjoyed the fun and laughter that children brought to our lives and didn’t mind the challenges that came along with having them. We would describe to each other, in detail, the long, lazy Saturday mornings we would have relished while the kids occupied themselves. We would paint vivid pictures with our words of what life would have been like to be so in love while building a life together.

In the last week, several of Chip’s childhood friends, who were so blessed to know him when he was young, shared photos of him that are in this post. Each photo brought thoughts such as “That is such a Chip look” or “Chip looked as good then in a blue button-down shirt as he did when I knew him.” Seeing the photos made me feel happy for his friends that they got to know him when he was young as well as joyful that I got to know his friends that meant so much to him. And, I felt joyful that "the Chip" I was blessed to get to know was not that different than the Chip that his friends knew when he was young.

So Chip!

Seeing the photos re-affirmed my belief that even though I didn’t know Chip when he was young, I did, in a way, know him when he was young since he shared himself with me daily. I was more certain than ever that Chip brought his authentic, true self to me throughout the years we were together. His smile in the photos was the smile he shared with me every day that I knew him. The fun-loving, engaged friend he was in the photos made him the amazing friend he was to me in our love relationship. The way he carried his body, sat, turned, crossed his leg over the other…and so much more that I see in the photos…was the Chip I knew.

Everlasting be his memory.

Chip always looked amazing in a button-down Oxford shirt

Life is precious and to be enjoyed fully!