I wanted so much to get up at Joshua's service to speak. Of course, the day was so much for me that it wasn't possible. If I had been able to, I would have said this about him:

He made me a better person, a kinder person. He was my world - my partner, my lover, my best friend, my teacher, my inspiration. He grounded me, taught me to slow down, literally showed me the world. He valued family and friendship as much as he loved getting completely lost within the crowds in an out of the way country. He embodied a commitment to living in the moment, and through our time together and in living through his illness with him, I learned at least a little bit how to do this.

And to all of you I would have thanked you from the bottom of my heart. I do thank you, I thank you for keeping him alive through your collective memory. I was a part of his life for a relatively short time, and he lived at least three lives before we even met. So many of you carry pieces of those lives with you. Your memories of him as a young boy, in the Army, in college, living, working, traveling around the world complete the picture of who he is. Who he was. I am honored to have gotten to know each of you through him and to be a part of your lives.