Danny Boy

A friend of mine died a few weeks ago. It's been a very long time since I lost someone who meant so much to me. But it wasn't just me, he meant a lot to a lot of people. In the days that followed his death his friends gathered and we mourned. It wasn't just to mourn, it was to remember. And we all have great memories or Kris Bristow.



After the initial shock of that night I handled the situation the best way I knew how and proceeded to drink and cry for three days. (Hey, don't judge me!) But by the end of the funeral "after party" I felt better. I felt like everything was going to be alright. And it is. I miss him terribly and going to Dragon*Con this weekend made me realize just how much. Bristow and I had known each other for about a year and a half the first time I went to Dragon*Con and he let me crash on the floor in the hotel room he was staying in. That weekend cemented our friendship. It was also the weekend he collapsed at the parade and led to him finding out he was sick.

So going back to Dragon*Con this weekend was very bittersweet. Several times this weekend I stopped and had to take a second look because I thought I had seen him walking by. His friends organized a memorial service for this year's convention and many, many people showed up to pay respects. I walked into the room with the misguided notion that I had done my grieving and was there for support and comfort. I was so very wrong. Just moments after the service began I was overcome with emotion. Strong, uncontrollable emotion. One by one his friends rose and told stories about Kris. Some were funny. Some were sentimental. And one man's a cappella rendition of "Danny Boy" brought the entire room to tears. But all were told with love and admiration.

Weeks before, as we were all leaving Mulligan's Pub, a toast was raised and we all sipped our pints for Bristow. Since that night a quote from the television show Firefly has been stuck in my head. I couldn't keep my composure long enough on Sunday night to say what I went there to say. And I'm not going to lie and say it has been easy writing these words. I've had to stop many times to wipe away the tears. But this has been inside of me since that night. So this is for you Bristow:

"When you can't run, you crawl...and when you can't crawl, you find someone to carry you."

That line has been running through my head for weeks. If you have friends then you know there is always someone there to carry you, and Bristow had more friends than anyone I have ever known. The first year I came to Dragon*Con I roomed with Kris and on that Sunday night I pulled the brilliant maneuver of staying out drinking until 7 am. When I got back to the room I immediately vomited up everything still in my system and passed out on the floor. Later that morning when everyone was packing up Kris made a point to get me into a bed and make sure that I was comfortable. He brought me water and Tylenol. He even called me later that night to make sure I made it home safely. This was just two days after he had collapsed at the parade and pretty much had to stay in bed the rest of the weekend. But that was Kris. Even when he was at the point of needing to be carried himself, he was always offering to carry you. Kris Bristow was my friend, he was all our friend. He was loved and he is greatly missed. And this world is without one of the best people I have ever known.