Saturday, August 10, 2019
I first met Brent at Lakewood High School. I was a senior; he was a freshman, and he had just joined the work team at the student store. I think perhaps one of the reasons I became chatty with him was because I started working at the student store my freshman year, so it was nice to see that kind of tradition continue. We became fast friends. His friend Josh told him his parents were hiring, and he passed the information along to me. Working that job helped me build up enough credit to take out a loan to shoot my first feature film Nostalgia, and during a re-shoot day on a weekend in September 2003 Brent happened to show up on set - we were filming at Long Beach City College. He came by just as we were setting up a transition shot of students walking down a busy hallway to get to their next class. Brent is one of those people in that shot of the movie. I lost track of Brent around 2005, 2006. There was no fighting, no falling out. He had a habit of being in touch for a time, and then would disappear for a year or more. I usually attributed it to having a busy life, since I knew he had a full-time job and at the time he had a few kids, had moved to Downey. I thought his life was full and did not have the room to squeeze everyone into it all at once. Knowing what I do now, I wish I had stayed in touch more often. I wish he had reached out. The very last time I saw Brent was when I went to Best Buy at the Lakewood Mall with my mom. We spotted him waiting in a long checkout line with his daughter resting on his shoulder. I remember us calling out and waving to each other, and how genuinely wonderful it was to see him. I know this for a fact: Brent�s death is NOT the end of his story. I know he�s in Heaven with Jesus, and is free from any and all pain. He may not be with us physically anymore, but he is very much alive and present spiritually, and he still impacts our lives. He has made, and continues to make a difference. My memories are all positive, and moving forward, he inspires me to be more mindful of the choices that I make on a daily basis. I know he wouldn�t want anyone to be down in the dumps for too long. He�d want us to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps, and kick some butt. He has been, and always will be, a dear friend. Brent, buddy, I love you very much, and I look forward to seeing you again. You�ve got a bear hug coming!
