I first met Andre in 1977 or 78, when he lived next door to my grandparents. Whenever I visited there, Andre would take a sneaky peek through the fence to see what I was up too. I was a bit of a Tom-boy and not really interested in what I suspected was Andre’s developing massive crush on me. Naturally I did what any self-respecting Tom-boy would do, I waited for him to peek through the fence and then would try to poke him with a stick. I was pretty mean to him, but we were very young, and I wasn’t very wise. My memories are few of our time together, then we moved away and our lives drifted apart. One very lucky day our paths crossed again. Adults now, I was very happy to meet Andre and catch up with the stories of our lives. He had turned into this amazing man. Gone was the geeky little kid and in his place stood a cycling, hiking, stuntman, photographer of beautiful scenery and even more beautiful women. Andre always took the time to stop and see me when he was travelling through Merritt on one of his many adventures. We would go fo a coffee or a drink and catch up. It was during one of these meetings that Andre reminded me of how mean I had actually been to him when we were kids. I apologized profusely, not ever having a reason or excuse to act in such a way. In that moment Andre taught me two things. First, the things we say and do to each other count and can still be felt years later. Secondly, my friend had forgiven me, an act of such grace I value to this day. During our last meeting Andre complained of some pain in his knee, little did we all know, this was the beginning of some very hard times. We lost touch when he left the social media site that we used together. I was not aware of Andre’s battles during this time. I thought of him every now and then wondering what adventures he was up to, unaware that he had chosen to quietly and privately fight his fight over the last few years. Which brings me to today, Andre reaching out to inform me of his condition. I was overwhelmed with grief to hear his news, and unlike him, I have not had time to process it fully and be at the peaceful place he is today. I am grateful to have crossed paths with such a fine man and gentle soul. His words to me will forever be cherished along with his memory. Every year as long as I shall live, I will be honoured to share my birthday with the memory of Andre, his great life and his great gift to me. Kindness and forgiveness. Dawn Armitage
