11/21/2023
I have been struggling to find the right words to share….
I’ve been unable to even open FB to see all the beautiful tributes through my own grief
I have so many complicated feelings
heartbreak
anger
shock
deep sadness
grateful
annoyance
mournful
melancholy
contemplative
sorrow
numbness
confusion
understanding
quietude
to name a few
I’ve been one of Raz’s adopted big sisters for 16 years
we met at Oz, he was the dishwasher and I was the late night cook
he was interested in cooking so I taught him what I knew, eventually I brought him to Navarra and trained him, and we lived together for a time
But like any family dynamic there were ups and downs
the first 11 years were mostly ups and I have some of my very fondest memories at Navarra and our home on Gladstone as well as at Oz
but it became complicated later with alcoholism for both of us and the last 5 years have been fraught with many fights and toxic behaviour on both sides
when he was hospitalized he pushed me away, which deeply hurt my feelings and so I stayed away, and angrily so for 3 years
This summer we bumped into each other and all our interactions were awkward, (mostly on my part)
He requested that we meet up multiple times
Eventually in early October, I agreed, fully prepared to sever ties forever, so deeply hurt and also wanting to remove toxic behaviour from my life…
I am so grateful that didn’t happen
we met for coffee and buried the hatchet, as he put it
had a really nice, honest conversation and catch up.
We parted ways friends again
The last time I saw him was a few days before his passing and completely by happenstance, he wasn’t good, I listened, gave advice, but mostly listened and when he needed to go I gave him the longest most heartfelt hug I have given a human since pre-pandemic times
I am tremendously grateful for having reconciled our friendship and even more grateful for that hug
I had a lot of reasons not to love him, but I loved him anyway, even when we weren’t talking, even when I wanted to sever ties,
I have always loved him like a brother and will for all time
even if he made it really hard
Razmon, I love you, I have always loved you, and I always will love you
You are my family, my little brother, even if you were a s**t a lot of the time
I am grieving this tremendous loss but I have become at ease in that you are no longer in that dark shadow that has caused you so much pain
In the new year myself and a few others would like to start a group where we can safely discuss and work through some of the darker subject matter that is part and parcel of our industry
We need to start talking about mental health, su***de, alcoholism, drugs, toxic behaviour and cultures, we need to come together and help each other
I want to be part of the solution
Our careers have been centered around taking care of other people, to make them feel good, to nourish them, to celebrate and commemorate and it has come at the expense of ourselves. It is high time we do this for each other and build a new community based on compassion, knowledge sharing, and safety
We are all reeling this loss and it has reverberated so much further than I could have ever imagined
I wish Raz was able to see when he was with us the impact he has had
Raz you were one of a kind and we miss you more than you will ever know
We need to bring darkness into the light, so I would like to end with some
of the happy and silly times that I will always treasure