Your Presence is Vital

An old friend of mine, Scott Moore, passed away yesterday.

Scott and I haven’t been close for a long time. Years and life can do that to friendships. But he will always hold a special place in my heart.

You see, Scott was one of those people you randomly cross paths with that show you a new way of being.

He was the first free-thinker I ever met up close and in person. He challenged the status quo. He questioned authority. He thought differently about the world than most of my friends back then.

Scott introduced me to books and ideas that sparked a curiosity in me for life’s big questions.

In high school, The Tao of Pooh was probably an odd choice for a kid to read, but I remember him raving about the book and the truth he found in its pages.

Yesterday I ordered the audio version in honor of Scott.

The thing is you never know how you’re going to influence someone. I’m sure if you could ask Scott he wouldn’t have known the important role he played in my life. The example he set to question everything—the world, ideas, even myself.

So, it’s an excellent lesson for me that every person’s presence is vital. Our being-ness is purposeful. We may not consciously know why or how, but it is. Something bigger and loving is working each of us. We can trust our place within it all.

Peace be with you, Scott.