Ask anyone, I'm not an emotional person. I don't cry at weddings or funerals. I'm a seasoned professional at keeping a stone face at some of life's best and worst moments.  

This past week, a friend from my past suddenly passed away. The last time I had seen him was four or five years ago, a random encounter while running errands. He gave me a giant bear hug and we made small talk before going on our separate ways.  

From the moment I met him, he was special. He was everyone's friend. Every girls big brother. The jokester in the group who could always make you smile even at your very worst moment in life. And now, that larger than life human being is gone.  

I didn't shed a tear when my best friend passed away. Or when another dear friend suddenly passed in January due to an aneurysm. But for him, I find myself holding back the tears. Maybe it's because he was literally one of the absolute best people I have ever known in my life. Or maybe it's because friends of mine who were much closer to him are absolutely shaken and lost without him and I know there's nothing I can say or do to fill that void. He leaves behind two young children and a plethora of people who loved him dearly even if they never told him so. To his family and those he touched throughout his life, he will be missed. The world just lost one of the most amazing, kind souls that come along one in a lifetime. He wouldn't want us to be sad right now; he'd want us to mosh in our living rooms and make silly jokes remembering him.

In life, we begin and end friendships over (usually) small details that were important at the time. I challenge each of you to reach out to those you care about whether it's been five minutes or five years since you've last spoken. Let them know that you care, even if they don't.