Edward Robert Stevenson...there are only a few things I know about this guy:

1. he's short
2. he has blonde dreadlocks down to his butt
3. he's funny and talkative
4. he's my friend Cannan's soulmate

I never met Edward, but my friend Cannan tells me that I would have loved him and that he would have loved me.

----------

When I came home on Friday afternoon mom told me that there had been a wreck right around the curve from our house on Thursday night, that the guy was 24 years old and died instantly. It was kind of shocking to think that such a young person died right near my house. Today I was going out and around that very curve and there were 3 cars and some people wondering around, I looked up in the woods near the tree the car hit and saw a familiar bundle of brown dreadlocks tied up on a girl's head and thought "Is that Cannan?" She and I had graduated high school together in 2006 and had been in art classes together for a few years I hadn't seen her since graduation almost 2 years ago, I absolutely love that girl! Well, on my way back in I decided to stop and see if that was her. As I got out of my car Cannan was walking toward me and I said "Cannan, is that you?!?" She walked up and started crying and just hugged me. I asked her what had happened and she explained that her soulmate, the love of her life, was killed on Thursday night. We hugged and hugged. She told me a little bit about Edward, the little bit I posted above. She said he was a fun-loving guy who loved everyone. That he would talk your ear off in the line at a grocery store or in the line at the bathroom. She said that he and I would have gotten along.

She told me that I was sweet for stopping and just hugged me and wouldn't let go. It was so amazing to be there with her. We talked a little longer and she told me some things, she told me to remember these things and never forget them. She told me to love, love, love--everyone and everything. She said to not be mean or angry or selfish but to love others. She told me to tell other people how I feel and if I just want to go up and give another big brother a hug to just grab them and hug them and let them know that I love them--to not be afraid to show my feelings. She told me to remember that life is precious and not just the life of a person but of every living thing--animal, plant, people. To remember that life is not about the money you have or the debt you owe but it's about the people you love and help and touch. She told me she loved me. As I was leaving she said "Tyler McCall I think that our paths will cross again sooner than later."

Tonight as I was eating at the Mexican restaurant uptown with another friend, I looked across the room and there sat Cannan and her family...

Rest in Peace Edward Robert Stevenson. I didn't know you and never will, but I do know that your memory will live on forever in the hearts, actions, and love of your family and friends and your soulmate Cannan.

Labels: Cannan, Edward Robert Stevenson, LIFE, love