a quick story

I first met Maddy when I was a very new member of Sunrise LA. He was always cooking dinner during our zoom meetings, and I loved it. It was so genuine and warm. When I saw him doing it, I decided I'd give it a try! It's silly, but it felt so vulnerable-- being bold enough to open parts of my life up to my community, even those as mundane as cooking dinner, took a lot out of me. But watching him joyfully transition between his dinner and the topic of discussion, like we were all just hanging out in his kitchen, kept me doing it. And it's something I do to this day, and will continue doing. It reminds me that we're a community that shares not only a goal, but also warmth, and love, and compassion. Maddy brought those things to us every week. And I know it's a simple thing, but making dinner during zoom meetings will always remind me of that. Since all our interactions happened during the pandemic, I didn't have as much of a chance to get to know Maddy as I would have liked. So I'm only now learning about all the things we had in common: both Jewish, both engineers in aerospace, both avid hikers & climbers. I wish we had had a chance to bond over those things. But it also makes me aware of the beauty & joy Maddy both brought to, and appreciated in, this planet. And I'm just grateful that he was able to do that. The world is a better place because of it.