be phenomenal, or be forgotten

I have been struggling with what to say for the past 2 weeks. I am still struggling, so I will use some of the words I heard a week ago to help say what I want to say. 2 weeks ago a good friend was killed in a car accident. His wife is my best friend Jillian, and as their relationship grew, my friendship with Karam grew. He became a part of our family, just like Jillian has been a part of our family since 1st grade. 

I have never wanted to live in Houston more than I do now with everything going on. Karam's funeral was a week ago and it was great seeing everyone that loved and was touched by Karam all in one place. There were over 650 people there celebrating his life. The amount of people sitting and standing together was incredible.

Karam was the type of person that lived life large. When you were with him, he was there with you 100%. He looked for ways to have fun in any situation, and knew how to lift you up when you were down. He loved to dance, with or without you. He was a great friend, and I miss him deeply.

One of his friends that spoke at the memorial service quoted from a Pearl Jam song called Just Breathe:

Yes, I understand that every life must end,

As we sit alone, I know someday we must go,
Oh I'm a lucky man, to count on both hands the ones I love
Some folks just have one, yeah, others, they've got none

Stay with me...
Let's just breathe...

Nothing you would take
Everything you gave
Hold me til I die
Meet you on the other side...

Karam had more love than he could have ever counted. 

Tell those that you love, that you love them every chance you get. Don't take life for granted, because life is more fragile than you can imagine. Always laugh. Be with your friends, your family, your loved ones 100%. Live life large like Karam always did. 

Karam was phenomenal, and he will never be forgotten.