phil... you will be missed.

it took the loss of a man whose kindness and humility i experienced firsthand for me to understand what Jesus meant when he said to his disciples 'you are the salt of the earth'. salt preserves, prevents decay, and is brings out the best in dishes. when i think of phil, i remember the time when i was a newb on the pop ride. i was undisciplined and made a series of mistakes that made alot of people upset. despite it all, phil treated me like a welcomed guest and his presence and encouragement were like an oasis in the dry and parched land. when i look back on that moment and others, i see the way he brought something to the table that seasoned those experiences--those bad experiences into something positive. instead of remembering those experiences as dreadful, my mind has filed them away as the time phil showed up with a peculiar grace, humility, and friendship. i'm so sorry he's gone because phil was the best of us. i can't make any sense of his loss other than god may be using him to help us all notice the things that truly matter and how much power we yield to affect the lives of others when we show up with grace and kindness--even when its not merited. my deepest condolences to his family, those who knew him, and the rest of the cycling community.

when the news broke, i wanted to be with the peeps on his ride, the one we did together, joined them as and ran escort vehicle, processed the loss and wrestled with god as to why such a good man was taken from us.