There are people who touch our hearts just by entering a room. People with such selflessness and genuine love for the world that it’s almost impossible not to feel good around them. I had such a friend. And this New Year’s Eve I lost such a friend.
Gonçalo Cardoso Dias was a fellow gamer, but that doesn’t cover the miriad of things he was. He was a dedicated architect, a talented artist but most of all he was a dear, dear friend. A friend I got used to seeing around my dinner table on Sunday nights, a friend with whom I laughed and built entire worlds with. There was a peaceful sweetness about him, a kind of loving acceptance of the world around him that fascinated me. During the hard days that followed his death I met his family and a lot of his friends. Every single person I met had been touched by Gonçalo in a special, loving and personal way. Because Gonçalo always saw us as individual persons with our own funny quirks and interests. He remembered them and value them, surprising us with the care he took in every thought he had about us.
He was but thirty, which leaves us with the bitter taste of wondering what he could have done and what people could he have touched, if his lifespan had been longer. However, at least as far as I’m concerned, there is also the joy and pride of having had the privilege of knowing him and shared a small portion of his life.
I’m honoured to have called myself your friend, Gonçalo. I know that you will remain alive in my memory, as long as I live. After that, who knows, maybe we’ll meet again and share laughs again. Farewell, sweet, sweet boy…