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Writer's pictureGerald Tindal

Day 14: Celebration


Karsten,


We celebrate your life. You’ll be in the front row and on the stage. Sorry. I know you wouldn’t like that but…


To have a child is to be a child, again: Bend light into its colors. Warp time into memories. Turn ordinary into disordinary. KT: That you did and more. So here’s to you.


Karsten was the on the front line to open a gap so someone could get through.


With people, he was the quiet one who said…Sure. Why not? We can do that. Really (sometimes a question and sometimes uncertain assurance so no punctuation).


KT could bench press more than his entire family weighed.


He made some of the best black berry stout beer and then drank most it.


The family diet:

• Sevrina (anything plain): Macaroni and cheese.

• Linda (all things healthy): Fiber and yogurt.

• JT (Eat on the run): Cliff bars and beer.

• KT (The powerlifter’s special): Steak and eggs.


Karsten moved all things with character and raw strength: Granite bars. Pool tables. Pavers. People.


Sometimes KT loved to do what his parents abhorred: Cruise ships. Disneyland. But he never asked them to join. Thank you.


His tail gating was a celebration of friends and football. Barbeque and beer. But always about the game. Two sides. Opposite zones. One ball. Plays and teamwork.


KT’s language was spoken more than written with its own grammar and syntax. Long spaces between words and big smiles instead of lilt and intonation.


He left impressions with others. Stamped enduring. Interpreted later. Quietly understood.

No problem if you didn’t get it. He’d be back later to help you understand.


In a letter to Karsten for celebrating his legacy with a scholarship fund in the Sports Product Management program, JT listed your attributes as pillars for honoring him through others in the program. They help define Karsten and bear repeating.

Competition is not (just) about winning, it’s about being on your game.

Sports and life are the same word spelled differently.

Why not just smile. It’s the best part of the day.

Kindness is cool. It lets you experience things you never would have.

Call your mom every day and tell her you love her.

Sometimes you just have to show your dad what to do. He’ll get it eventually. Or not.

Respect and listening are two sides of the same coin.

Disadvantage is a state of mind that can be overcome.

Just let me show you what I can do. It’ll surprise us both.

This celebration is to say thank you Dogg Man. Brief but poignant. Indelible in meaning.


From all of us: Your family. Your friends. Your teachers. Your classmates. And all the other strays you left behind. We’ll catch up to you one day and just maybe. Maybe. Understand.


All of us….


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