|
As Sue and I sat down to think of what we could possibly say to describe
the many ways that Linda impacted our lives, we were at a loss. How could
we adequately express how much Linda meant to us and illustrate all the
amazing qualities she possessed? Linda was so many great things, like
generous, devoted, and compassionate, and while we could never truly go
through all the words that come to mind, her genuine love and overwhelming
dedication to her friends are the things that we will remember and cherish
forever.
Linda was one of the first people we met at Hopkins. She was our perky, upbeat
neighbor who was almost always smiling. The moment we met her, her immediate
warmth, genuine kindness and affectionate nature quickly pacified all our fears
about coming to college. We knew that with someone as kind and caring as Linda
living next door to us, we would always have someone to turn to as we tried
to adjust to life away from home. As the first few months of school passed by,
sure enough, Linda became one of our closest friends and we came to rely on
her comforting qualities not just in our transition to college, but in our every
day lives.
As we grew closer to Linda, all living together in a suite our sophomore year,
we came to consider her our family at school. The way she genuinely expressed
her concern for us and always made time to sit and talk, despite her hectic
schedules, was like the care we received at home. Almost every day that we lived
with Linda, she would make it a point to come into our rooms and ask how our
day was. And if something was wrong, she would bring us her care bears and her
stuffed Eeyore, play us Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” on repeat, and listen
intently to even the most miniscule details of our problems.
Moving away from Linda after our sophomore year was a hard adjustment, but Linda
valued her friendships more than anyone, and was committed to staying close to us.
She made sure we still talked and made time for each other. And if a week or two
would go by where we all just became so swamped we wouldn’t speak or see each
other, we would come home to find messages on our computers from Linda that
simply said “I love you” and “I miss you” and lets see each other soon.
Linda – we love you and we miss you, and though we won’t be seeing each other
soon, our memories of you will always remain in our hearts and minds.
|
|
