A Special Day
May 8, 2022Corps Values Podcast Episode 6 | Nels Matson
May 22, 2022Friendships come easily to children. On several occasions I have heard one child ask another, “you wanna be my friend?”. It’s a sweet moment for those of us who have the privilege to witness the innocence that prompts such a heartfelt question that is heard often throughout playgrounds and backyards. As we get older, it seems many reach their friendship quota. Relationships require effort to maintain connections, and understandably, as time progresses and responsibilities increase, our availability to engage with others becomes limited.
There are certain people you meet though, that even if months and in some instances years pass, when you connect, it’s like time stood still. You are able to “pick up right where you left off”. My brother had many amazing people in his life like this. Joe, Jamie, George, Laura, Darren, John John, Randy, Dawn, and Toby are just a few really special friends who meant the world to Chris! I am sure the adventures and stories they hold close still bring a smile to their face.
Chris met Toby and his wife, Tasha, in Key West. After Chris died, I was blessed to meet Toby and later Tasha and am thankful they opened their hearts to me and shared some of the special memories they have of Chris. All of us have a unique relationship with each person we welcome into our lives. Listening to stories others have been willing to tell me about my brother has made my heart happy. It makes me think of a woman I met on a hike. She was processing her own grief and told me about a quote she heard, “You die once, when you do die, but the second time you die is when your name isn’t spoken anymore.”
In 2015, I reached out to a few of Chris’ friends and asked if there was one or two things they would like people to know about their friendship with Chris. With Toby’s permission and in honor of their friendship that started in Key West, I’m sharing his words with you today in advance of Nels running the Keys100, which begins tomorrow, Saturday, May 21st, 2022 at 5:30 a.m.
Toby:
The thing I loved about Chris was his never ending source of motivation. I have only a few times in my life met anyone that seemed to not understand the word quit. Not only in his professional career but in his personal life as well. He never ran from a challenge… always took it head on. I guess that same tenacity allowed him to be such a nice guy. He always had a kind word for most and was never willing to give up on a guy even when most would. As a result I know it would be impossible to find anyone that would ever be able to say they met Chris, and didn’t like him. He was then and remains to be an inspiration for me to be a better man.
Soon,
Cindy
Proud Sister of Christopher George Campbell, US Navy
September 16, 1974 – 8/6/11
“The greatest casualty is being forgotten” -WWP®