Strength of Spirit (A Reflection by Kendall)

Underlying the grief, there is an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I was lucky enough to be considered one of Brandi’s “peeps” for twelve wonderful years. We met in 1996, as co-workers at Borders Books in downtown Seattle. There was a bond, almost instant. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it at that early stage, but I knew she was unlike anyone else I’d ever known, and I was pretty sure she was going to be an important part of my life. Years later, she told me that she felt we were kindred spirits. I could not have been more honored.

I moved away from Seattle for a few years, and because of my atrocious correspondence habits, it’s a small miracle that we managed to stay in contact while I was away. I must attribute that almost entirely to Brandi’s persistence. I was fairly astonished to receive hand-written letters from her, and it dawned upon me that once she had established a connection with someone, she was not likely to let it slip away. If you meant something to Brandi, she made sure you knew it. “You’re stuck with me,” she once said to me, and I was elated.


On the eve of Brandi’s departure for yet another stint on “the ice” (Antarctica), I asked her why she was going. Again. She didn’t seem too interested in coming up with a list of reasons. Reflecting on it later, it struck me that “why?” was not amongst B’s favorite questions. There had been other occasions on which I had posed it, and it had almost always been met with a half-hearted attempt, at best, to satisfy my request for a logical explanation. And it occurred to me that it really wasn’t a very important, or even interesting, question. Brandi provided me with so many insights, simply by being herself. She did what she was called to do; the strength of her spirit impelled her as she moved through this world, and it was beautiful to behold.

Goodbye, dear friend.