Salut: Ryan Smith

I first met Ryan Smith at the all-school retreat in 2005. There was some mention of Every Time I Die and Sufjan Stevens (this was when I was still calling him "SUFF-JAN"), which is always relationally promising for me. However, I must admit that I was struck by Ryan's seemingly ambivalent aura. Little did I know that I had met a young gentlemen who would soon become a significant joy in my life.

The next memory I have of my little Ryan was during Dean's Chapel or something (coincidentally, Ryan's middle name - which is why he always attended them); I noticed he was wearing an NA keychain and decided to send him an e-mail informing him that we may have more in common than our taste in indie rock. We met and visited Stumptown, our conversation meandering between our favorite bands and our life experiences. He struck me as relatively serious, a perception that would become torn to shreds the more I got to know him. I also enjoyed beginning to see his many quirks and preferences that I now hold dear to my heart (soap fetish, early bedtime, preference for Pabst despite a demand for quality in everything else, and so forth).

Ryan, I will miss you. I will miss the random sitings of you at school, warming my heart at virtually every occasion. I will miss witnessing the genuine and self-giving concern you consistently showed for your peers. I will miss our endless ramblings about music, about frustrations with the various cultures with which we are involved, and the times we got to share our deepest vulnerabilities with one another. I will miss you, Ryan, but I know that regardless of the setting you find yourself in, God is going to use you for his Kingdom. Never lose touch, and let's keep the hilarious text message exchange, even if the text messages have to cross numerous states.

Three cheers for Ryan Smith!

(if you are in the Portland area tonight, Thursday the 14th, swing by Edgefield's Little Red Shed at 7pm for an official "farewell" to our friend).