Today was a trying day.

We said goodbye to one of the most beautiful people I have ever had the privilege of knowing and spending time with. And when I say beautiful, I am speaking of something that goes considerably deeper than what the eyes can see. I’m speaking of the kind of beauty that resides in a person’s character, in the way they treat others, and in the quiet dignity with which they carry themselves through this often unforgiving world.

There are people we encounter in life who remind us that goodness is not some abstract notion reserved for sermons, poetry, or philosophical discussions. It exists. It walks among us. Sometimes, if we are fortunate enough, it sits across from us, shares a conversation, offers a smile, and leaves us a little better for having been in its company.

She was one of those people.

I’ve met a great many people during my time on this earth. Some I’ve admired, others I’ve respected, and a precious few have earned a place in my heart that time and distance cannot diminish. She belonged among that precious few.

Being in her presence justified the use of two words I do not bestow lightly: The Finest.

And if I knew absolutely nothing else about her, what I witnessed of her character would have been enough to earn both my love and my respect.

I suppose that is what makes days like today so difficult. We understand that life is temporary. We know that eventually we must say goodbye to those whose company we have come to cherish. Knowing something, however, does precious little to prepare us for the moment when that knowledge becomes reality.

Today, there was sadness. There were memories. And there was the unmistakable weight of knowing that someone extraordinary would no longer be here to share another conversation, another laugh, or another ordinary moment that we might otherwise have taken for granted.

But there was gratitude, too.

Gratitude for having known her. For the time we shared. For the simple privilege of having crossed paths with someone whose humanity required neither explanation nor embellishment.

I won’t pretend that saying goodbye is easy. It isn’t. Nor will I attempt to dress grief in pretty words and pretend that doing so somehow makes the loss more bearable.

Some people simply deserve to be missed.

And some people, through the quiet example of the lives they lived, remind us of what it means to be among the finest.

She was one of them.

And I am grateful that, for a little while, our paths crossed.