It was three years ago today that one of my favorite people I've ever known was taken from us on Earth. I have been thinking a lot lately about the blessings that came to me from my family moving to Iowa my junior year of high school and I count Jeff as one of the biggest blessings that came to me through that move. The Hasara family of four boys and one girl moved to Iowa the exact time that my family of five girls moved there. The first day of church in my new ward was literally the first day that they had moved in too and we all clicked right away. It really didn't hurt that they also literally lived a block away from me. Jeff quickly became like my little brother. I drove him to school, I made him walk me to class because I had no friends yet haha, and we all hungout all the time. Jeff was SO HAPPY and SO FUNNY and SO FULL OF LIFE and it was so contagious. He quickly turned around my negative I feel sorry for myself attitude about moving to a new place where I was uncomfortable and didn't know anyone into a happy, positive outlook. Some of my fondest memories with Jeff are of making cd's and going on drives with him just to listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers and Brand New and yelling "SUSAN!" out the car window to random people walking on the sidewalks. He frequently made fun of me for how ridiculous I was, and I had the time of my life hanging out with him and laughing over stupid things and talking about everything. Those are the memories with Jeff that I remember. The good ones. The happy ones. Because that's who Jeff was. Happy. Even after he was diagnosed with cancer only a year after I had known him, he remained so happy and so full of life. I don't recall ever hearing him complain about his situation. He just always had faith that everything would work out and that this was all a part of the plan that the Lord had for him. He never once sat around feeling sorry for himself, but instead would talk to me about how he knew he was a tool in the Lord's hands and that he would be okay. After a year of battling with cancer, Jeff passed away on August 16, 2010, just a few days before I moved to college.
I don't think that there's another person or experience that I've had so far in my life that has impacted me quite the way that Jeff did. He taught me how to LIVE, and just how precious life is. He taught me to appreciate LIFE and to find joy in it. He taught me to not stress out about things that don't matter. He taught me to LAUGH, and to be ridiculous, and to always be who you are no matter what. He taught me to make the most of any situation. He taught me to be a friend to everybody. He taught me to not sit around and feel sorry for myself. He taught me that following the Lord's will and being close to Him is the only thing that matters. He taught me to focus on the important things in life. He taught me to really live freely and without inhibitions. I will never forget Jeff, the fun memories that I had with him, and the impact that he made on my life. I love and miss him dearly, and today, like every day, am thankful for the person and example that he was to me.
