I was probably 12 or 13 when I first met Brian. A decidedly awful time of life for most people. A time when most people don’t feel at home anywhere in the world. I was a Catholic kid trying to figure out my place in the Body of Christ. But Brian cultivated a space of welcome for a gaggle of awkward, hurting teens in that Fireside Room of Carmel Presbyterian Church. And he never stopped holding that space for us – for those he came in contact with. The reason so many feel so closely tied to Brian is because of the hours Brian spent with us when we were the hurting, the lonely, and the forgotten. Or when we were the bored, uncomfortable, and lost. He reminded us, through his life’s work, that this journey of life was coming alongside the humanness of one another and just being. Simply being and loving with compassion. It’s from him that I learned so much about holding space for others. Brian did this radically. And he did it at some of the hardest and most monumental times of our lives. He journeyed with and among us. And he was wise enough to know that most of the time all people needed was a tiny bit of respite. Not a lecture, not a teaching. Just a friend and a big warm hug. It was Brian that helped lay the foundation of social action in my life – the very thing I talk and write about day in and day out. Brian was one of the first people to show me what it looked like to harness my anger into hopeful action. That those of us that claim to follow Jesus have a responsibility to see and know the hurting in the world and do something about it. He invited me into ecumenical and community spaces and gave me the confidence to believe I belonged there. That I was capable of learning and reflecting. That my voice and viewpoint mattered. If you were lucky enough to hear Brian speak, it was also clear that Brian was a teacher. The good and the wisdom that he spilled into this world is undoubtedly immeasurable. His teachings were of justice and love and moving into action to be part of what makes this world a beautiful place to be. In life we are given many teachers at different points in our life and I am grateful that Brian was a mentor of mine for so many years. There is still so much work to do, but luckily Brian has touched a lot of lives so there are plenty of us to tackle what he left us.
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