The school where Craig lived his passion held a "Celebration of Life" in memory of Craig. The Auditorium was packed with the students, colleagues, friends and family. I wanted to give the students an idea of what Craig was like outside the classroom. These are the words I shared:
--------------------
I’m Paul, and your Mr. Goldman, or “Craig” as I knew him, was a very close, dear friend of mine. I wanted to share a little bit of what he was like outside the classroom.
I met Craig over a decade ago and he was someone I came to respect, admire, and love. He was my best buddy, a trusted confidant, a voice of reason, and the glue that kept his close friends together. One of his most amazing and endearing qualities was his ability to remember the details, events and milestones in the lives of others. He always put his family and friends first in so many ways. Many of them are here today…
Craig approached each day with a desire to live fully. He was not one to get hung up on the trivial or mundane or petty things in life. Yet for some reason he had this crazy and mostly useless ability to remember the date that any celebrity passed away on.
He was extremely insightful and was fascinated by human behavior. After many events or get-togethers we would do what he called “the debrief” to review every little nuance of what happened and what it meant. I marveled at what he saw that I often missed. I’m sure as a teacher, nothing got by him…
He loved to travel, whether by bike or car or cruise ship. The highlight of his summers where his exciting travels with his close friends, as well as chaperoning several school field trips to the east coast or to Yosemite. His most recent trip to Israel was one he dreamed of for years.
Craig was a dog lover. Shortly after I got my dog he was inspired to get one of his own. Growing up he had a schnauzer and that was the dog he searched for. He finally found and rescued one named Chico, a truly wonderful and loving companion who provided him with that unconditional love that dogs are best at. He often said it was Chico who rescued him.
Craig never shied away from a challenge. Whether it be the Tour de Palm Springs bike ride or the Hot Chocolate run he did with friends just this last March. He was always up for the challenge as long as he had his friends to share it with.
We loved our food! Whether it was Phil’s BBQ or Sushi or our continual quest for the best frozen yogurt. Did you know that he loved candy sprinkles on his? We did however differ in our love of chocolate. He wasn’t much of a chocolate fan. Near the end of a meal with friends at the Cheesecake Factory it was time to decide on dessert and it came down to chocolate decadence cake or key lime pie. He picked the key lime saying the other was just too much chocolate. To this day I really don’t think there is such a thing as too much chocolate.
I’d like to share two quick stories and three big lessons as I look back on Craig’s life.
This first one is titled “Mr. Oldman.” As part of being an amazing and inspiring teacher, your Mr. Goldman always looked for ways to make his class fun by making fun of himself. At the beginning of each school year Craig would write his name on the board at the start of each class – Mr Goldman. Then he would casually walk up to the board and erase the “G” leaving it as Mr. Oldman. This brought a giggle from the students every time he did it. That was his nature, often finding humor by letting others laugh at himself.
The second one is titled “I’m a Believer.” Craig had finished his teaching degree and was ready for his first official class as a full-fledged teacher. He wanted to make an impression, he wanted to set the tone for the school year and show his students that he had a fun side. He asked if I could help him put a song onto a cassette or a CD so he could play it when his students walked into class that first day. So we downloaded the song from some random site on the internet, and he was ready for day 1. The song he played was the version of “I’m a Believer” by Smashmouth. I knew at that moment his students were going to love him.
Now for those three big lessons.
I think we’re all struggling to find some meaning for Craig’s quick departure from our lives. As we all wonder how to make sense of Craig’s life being cut way too short I’ll offer these three lessons based on my time with him and how he lived his life.
Lesson #1 is Just Show Up.
Being a true friend means being there for those close to you. Craig was a true friend. You could always count on him to lend an ear when you had something to say, to help you see a better way, or to just find something fun to do. He was always there for those he cared about, so it was my privilege to be there for him. That’s what I did, I was just there.
When someone you care about is sick or just needs you we often don’t know what to do. We feel uncomfortable because we can’t find the right thing to do, or say, or bring with us to make it all better. In some cases you never will. So just show up, say anything or say nothing, but just be by their side. Just show up and take comfort knowing that your presence is really the best present you can give.
Lesson #2 is Take a Risk, Change Your Life.
Teaching was Craig’s third career. His first was in retail, then he helped run the family business and then he set his sights on teaching. Imagine redefining yourself when you’re almost 40 years old. For Craig he knew he had another calling. He had a gift for educating, for inspiring, and for showing our children how to be their best. Many of us hesitate to take that first step, to step outside the box or lean into our discomfort zone. So know that it’s never too early or too late to take that leap of faith that could change your life. Make fear your friend, feel the fear and do it anyway.… take a risk and change your life.
Lesson #3 is Do what you love in service to others.
Craig’s passion was teaching. He shined the brightest when he was in front of the class room and was darkest when he wasn’t. One of the hardest moments in these last weeks was when he realized he wouldn’t start the school year with all of you. Craig never had children of his own but in many ways his students were his kids. As such, he was serving you. He was creative and cared most about making learning fun and fascinating. All he wanted was for each of his students to be the best they can be. Craig was finally able to do what he loved, and what made it special for him was the difference he could make in your lives. Remember to not only do what you love, but when you do so in service to others you’ll change lives.
Finally, share your condolences with his parents who are here today as they have endured what no parent ever should, the loss of their child. Let your hearts go out to his family as they’ve lost a brother and an uncle who they loved so dearly. Console his friends as we’ve lost a special one who can’t be replaced. And my heart goes out to Muirlands as you’ve lost a bright shining star.
You know I imagine Craig is up there by his grandmothers side looking down on this probably saying, “All this for me, really?” We’ll miss him more than words can say our Mr. Goldman, our Mr. Oldman, our Dear Craig.
----------------
We hope to have video of the entire ceremony available soon...
