Friends Forever!
Life is strange.... it's weird how someone you've not seen for a long time can make such an impact. There are certain friends that it doesn't matter how much space and time comes between you, you'll always be friends. As kids I remember we'd always say friends forever. We had no idea what that meant, but as an adult you realize that some of those same friends truly are your friends forever! There are friendships that nothing seems to come between.
Talei Jones is one of those friends. Talei and I went to school together from we were very young up until I left for boarding school in middle school. She was always very unique. She was mixed to start, her mom is from Fiji with very dark skin and her dad is white. As you can imagine Talei had this beautiful brown skin and a very warming smile. She spoke French. She was insanely smart, but never in a condescending or malicious way. She just oozed intelligence but always a gracious person. Everyone liked her. To this day I can't remember a moment of her not smiling and happy. I've really been trying too. Everyone seems to have the same memories of her too. Happy, fun, and an amazingly warm heart.
She only went to our school in the winter. Unheard of other than with her, but if you knew Talei not surprising. Her family lived in Canada during the summer and then moved to the Bahamas for the winter. Obviously it's a very mild to non-existent winter here so they'd leave Canada when it got cold there. So half the year she was our classmate and then the other half of the year there are some equally blessed kids in Canada because they got to grow up with such an amazing spirit.
After leaving Lyford Cay I went to boarding school in England and as fate would have it Talei and I both went to boarding schools in Cranbrook, Kent. My school was a few minutes away from hers. Back then we rarely used email, so we'd write letters to each other back and forth and talk on the phone and meet up in town as much as we were able to. We'd always send each other birthday presents and cards, we were born in the same month. We were the November babies.
After leaving England for college I'd not seen Talei but we kept in touch via facebook. She was travelling around the world and I would admire her pictures and wish I could do the same. She'd posted on Facebook that she was going to be in Miami on July 29th and I was going to be there as well because I'd just driven down from Atlanta to move back to the Bahamas. So I messaged her and told her I'd be there and that i'd be happy to meet up with her. She facebooked when she arrived that morning and I had plans to meet her but we missed each other. She didn't have a cell phone and was unable to message me back once she left the airport and then when she did message I didn't get it early enough to go meet her. Long story short we missed each other. But I told her safe travels to Jamaica and that she should come down to Nassau for a bit seen as she was back on this side of the world. She'd said after being over here for a bit again she realized how much she'd missed it. Little did I know that those would be the last messages we ever exchanged.
I woke up on Monday morning and saw messages saying RIP Talei. Somehow it felt like someone punched me in the gut. I didn't believe it. I was a walking zombie for about 20 mins. It was unfathomable to me because in my mind I'd just spoken to her. Sure enough I got on the phone with Trisha, another friend and she confirmed it. Talei had died in a car accident on Sunday in Jamaica.
I couldn't wrap my brain around this news. I was in complete shock for 2 reasons. The first being that I was confused by how such a horrid thing could happen to such a wonderful person and secondly why was I so upset? I'd not seen Talei in years should I really be this upset? I know this second question may seem an odd one to ask but I really asked myself this question.
In my reflections I realized that there are some people that are truly friends for life, or as we said as kids Friends Forever. Nothing comes in between that friendship, you may not speak or see each other for extended periods of time, but when you do, the same warm, pleasant feelings you felt before come right back. The same smile you remember is still there, the same love of life, fun spirited and adventurous person is still there. They say we are the same people we were when we were 5 just bigger and smarter, but our personality is the same. I kinda believe it. Talei's spirit hadn't changed a bit and in speaking to her just a few days before she died the same warm memories came back and my old friend was back in my life. Those memories never die and that's why it hurt so much to hear that she was gone.
There's something to be gained from every experience in life. Talei's death has taught me a lesson. Life is short and very precious. You have to embrace it and treasure every opportunity. Enjoy life, live it to the fullest. Live the best life you can possibly live because it can end in an instant. For me that means embrace my need for adventure and forget about what others will think. Enjoy my life, have fun, be gracious and to remember that even if people don't remember what you said, or did, they'll always remember how you made them feel. I will always remember Talei's smile and how she made me feel.
My only consolation through this situation is I know that she enjoyed her life, she had fun and she was a great person and everyone that's ever met her has been forever changed because they did. Who could ask for a better legacy?
Talei Jones is one of those friends. Talei and I went to school together from we were very young up until I left for boarding school in middle school. She was always very unique. She was mixed to start, her mom is from Fiji with very dark skin and her dad is white. As you can imagine Talei had this beautiful brown skin and a very warming smile. She spoke French. She was insanely smart, but never in a condescending or malicious way. She just oozed intelligence but always a gracious person. Everyone liked her. To this day I can't remember a moment of her not smiling and happy. I've really been trying too. Everyone seems to have the same memories of her too. Happy, fun, and an amazingly warm heart.
This is the girl I'll always remember. :)
She only went to our school in the winter. Unheard of other than with her, but if you knew Talei not surprising. Her family lived in Canada during the summer and then moved to the Bahamas for the winter. Obviously it's a very mild to non-existent winter here so they'd leave Canada when it got cold there. So half the year she was our classmate and then the other half of the year there are some equally blessed kids in Canada because they got to grow up with such an amazing spirit.
After leaving Lyford Cay I went to boarding school in England and as fate would have it Talei and I both went to boarding schools in Cranbrook, Kent. My school was a few minutes away from hers. Back then we rarely used email, so we'd write letters to each other back and forth and talk on the phone and meet up in town as much as we were able to. We'd always send each other birthday presents and cards, we were born in the same month. We were the November babies.
After leaving England for college I'd not seen Talei but we kept in touch via facebook. She was travelling around the world and I would admire her pictures and wish I could do the same. She'd posted on Facebook that she was going to be in Miami on July 29th and I was going to be there as well because I'd just driven down from Atlanta to move back to the Bahamas. So I messaged her and told her I'd be there and that i'd be happy to meet up with her. She facebooked when she arrived that morning and I had plans to meet her but we missed each other. She didn't have a cell phone and was unable to message me back once she left the airport and then when she did message I didn't get it early enough to go meet her. Long story short we missed each other. But I told her safe travels to Jamaica and that she should come down to Nassau for a bit seen as she was back on this side of the world. She'd said after being over here for a bit again she realized how much she'd missed it. Little did I know that those would be the last messages we ever exchanged.
I woke up on Monday morning and saw messages saying RIP Talei. Somehow it felt like someone punched me in the gut. I didn't believe it. I was a walking zombie for about 20 mins. It was unfathomable to me because in my mind I'd just spoken to her. Sure enough I got on the phone with Trisha, another friend and she confirmed it. Talei had died in a car accident on Sunday in Jamaica.
I couldn't wrap my brain around this news. I was in complete shock for 2 reasons. The first being that I was confused by how such a horrid thing could happen to such a wonderful person and secondly why was I so upset? I'd not seen Talei in years should I really be this upset? I know this second question may seem an odd one to ask but I really asked myself this question.
In my reflections I realized that there are some people that are truly friends for life, or as we said as kids Friends Forever. Nothing comes in between that friendship, you may not speak or see each other for extended periods of time, but when you do, the same warm, pleasant feelings you felt before come right back. The same smile you remember is still there, the same love of life, fun spirited and adventurous person is still there. They say we are the same people we were when we were 5 just bigger and smarter, but our personality is the same. I kinda believe it. Talei's spirit hadn't changed a bit and in speaking to her just a few days before she died the same warm memories came back and my old friend was back in my life. Those memories never die and that's why it hurt so much to hear that she was gone.
There's something to be gained from every experience in life. Talei's death has taught me a lesson. Life is short and very precious. You have to embrace it and treasure every opportunity. Enjoy life, live it to the fullest. Live the best life you can possibly live because it can end in an instant. For me that means embrace my need for adventure and forget about what others will think. Enjoy my life, have fun, be gracious and to remember that even if people don't remember what you said, or did, they'll always remember how you made them feel. I will always remember Talei's smile and how she made me feel.
My only consolation through this situation is I know that she enjoyed her life, she had fun and she was a great person and everyone that's ever met her has been forever changed because they did. Who could ask for a better legacy?
RIP Talei, my friend forever.
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