My hardest ever Good-bye

[blacksheep06A]

I haven’t come here, or to any other forum, for a long time. The reason was not that I’d lost interest, but quite the contrary I was lucky enough to get close to Ronnie. As anyone who knew him would expect, it was a true blessing.

Ronnie was the most genuine person I’ve ever met in my life, and although I’ve been around the most prominent scientists for 30 years on my job, I can honestly say that he was also the most intelligent.

Crossing blades with him in our countless discussions was not only an immensely enjoyable experience, but a truly magic one. He was the only person who managed to make me struggle for words, and more than once I simply lost the game. He has taught me to think, in a way I’ve never thought about thinking before. He lifted my spirit to the top of the Silver Mountain.

On a personal level, Ronnie never played a role. He was always just being himself, to the tips of his hair. He would never let anyone kick him into any shape other than his own. Like no other he epitomized one principle: First learn to respect yourself. Then open your heart to the world, show them who you are, and give them what you’ve got to give. He made me believe, that one is not possible without the other. In that, he made me a stronger, better person.

I am not grieving for a voice, or for the music that will stay with us forever. I am grieving for a man who’s had a huge impact on my personal life. He left me with a big black hole, both in my brain and in my heart. I will be forever thankful for having known him the way I have.

But ... Ronnie, you forgot to give me one answer – where shall all my love for you go now...?