People Will Remember Your Kindness

You may think you're just doing a job, but the people around you notice who you are. They will remember your kindness. I remember my friend's.

Trip of a Lifetime

I found out yesterday that my friend, Bea Rigby, just died. She had fought cancer for years. After some moments of relief, some of relapse, and other diagnoses, she finally succumbed to the disease. She is a good person, and I'm glad she is now free of her pain and resting with God.

I had worked with Bea some years ago on a couple well-remembered projects. It was a golden age. She was very skilled and talented. Her assigned function was business analyst, but I'm pretty sure she did the work of product manager and designer as well. She was a great communicator.

She was a force to be reckoned with. In our product meetings, you knew she was there, and I anticipated her insight. She didn't always agree with everyone. The way forward often seemed clear to her, and she sought to understand others and bring us to a shared vision. She was a fireball. In her skilled and special way, she had a way of disagreeing with you and challenging you that left you liking her. She was always smiling. Well, maybe not always, but she quickly reverted to smiling after giving you one of her confused looks of, "how could you have come to that conclusion"? She could find the essence of the issue and, I'm sure, saved us many hours of subsequent meetings because of her incisiveness and ability to coordinate solutions.

I will miss her. I have missed her since we have gone to different jobs since. When my wife and I were expecting our first son, Bea made a wonderful jungle and chameleon-themed quilt for him. She has made many such quilts for friends and family. I wrote her a couple years ago to send her a photo of the boy that had since outgrown the small quilt but still used it. She wrote back, "I was hoping it would work for tents in the dining room for a good long while!"

Bea is a fabulous human being. She is a kind soul. I will remember her kindness, her smile, and the way we all felt when around her. What a life well lived! I'm glad I could be a part of your trip of a lifetime, Bea.

Grins, Jake