Rainbow's battle has ended

"He's a cross between Elvis, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison and a cowboy guy," Bill told me. I had to laugh--his description was so fitting! Our dear unique alien extraordinaire, Rick has left us way too soon. The shocking news has taken us all by surprise. We thought that he had more time. He told me last night that he had trouble sleeping. The light was too bright. Maybe he was seeing the light and being called home.

Rick had two worlds in the States in which he moved through life--his trucking world, where he had three best friends, Bill, Matt and Fred. His other world was that in which we were all a part here on the message boards. His world of authors. His books are the legacy that he leaves behind for all of us to read and feel his presence.

There will never be another like him. His signature colorful way to dress was always such a hoot! He loved to raise eyebrows. He lived his life with uninhibited abandon. Matt said that he was the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back and ask if you needed shoes while rubbing your feet. We all will miss his bright and witty banter. He spoke from his heart and put it all out there in his writing. The heart that he wore on his sleeve was filled with love and kindness.

We'll see him when a Rainbow appears. We'll smile and remember our friend Rainbow Rick, the sharp and sassy Brit with the wild clothes, long sideburns and enormous heart. He was all for peace and love, a child of the 60's growing up in England. He was taken from us all way too soon. In our hearts today and always, we will always remain "Forever Friends."

With love,

Helen

Helen,

It would appear that you and Rick (Rainbow) had become good friends, beyond something created by an internet connection. If you have contact with Rick's family please tell them I offer my deepest sympathies.

Charlie

Dear Helen,

That is very sad news but also a relief to know that he is no longer suffering. How fitting that you should say that we will remain forever friends.

Love and sincerest sympathy to Rick's family. He will be greatly missed.

~Shelagh

Considering that there was no hope, it is good that his suffering won't continue on. Thanks for keeping us informed, Helen.

Helen,

I'm sorry to hear the news. You were an exceptional friend to him and I'm sure he appreciated your warmth towards him.

My condolences to his family and friends.

May he rest in peace.

Helen you are such a good person to keep us up to date, and I really love the tribute you wrote him here. My condolences to his family and friends.

Dear Helen,
What you have been through for Rainbow makes me cry. My dear, what a grief you bear now. I am sorry that we as people on this message board cannot hold your hand and sit by you as you let go of Rainbow.

We all think we may know what we would do if we knew the number of the days we have left on this earth, but we do not. We would hope our life away and not confront our death at all. The moment would come as a surprise, after all. God bless Rainbow.

You are a kind person. God bless you, if God there is to bless anyone.

Love,
Betty

Helen,
Words failed me when I read this earlier, as they do now. I want to thank you for this lovely tribute to him, Sir Rick.

Thank you, Helen, for being the link to and from Rainbow Rick. You are a true friend!

I am glad his suffering is over. As Dick said, since there was no hope it is better he went sooner than later.

I talked to him yesterday on the phone, but just for a short time. He said he couldn't talk and that he wasn't doing well at all. I will always hold his voice and words next to my heart.

Please send condolences from me also.

I'm so sorry to hear that, but it should teach us all about life and how precious it is. Thinking he had at least a month or two, I only sent a card two days ago. I'm sure he didn't have time to receive it.

Please convey my condolences as well.

Dear Brenda,
I know you as a kind and gentle person. I am always amazed at the quickness of death, and thankful for it when there is no hope. There was not one thing any of us could do but try to comfort. I hope we can comfort Helen, who helped him to the end.
Love,
Betty

Thanks, Betty, but I have my other side as well.

You're so right about Helen. What she did for a friend is inspirational.

Helen,
I just read your tribute to Rainbow. He would be pleased at your words. I'm also guessing that he would have some amusing quip to go with it.
I'm glad I had the chance to talk to him. I feel so sad at his passing.

I am so sad, I'm quite lost for words. It is hard to believe how he could be here so full of humor and so full of life... and now he's suddenly gone forever. My condoloences to Rainbow's family, may he rest in peace, may his short presence here live on through his writings.

I was overwhelmed last night when I came to the boards and saw all of your wonderful comments for me and feelings expressed for the loss of Rainbow. It was indeed very comforting to me.

I must say that it was an effortless task that I signed on for when Rick asked me to post what was going on with him. It gave me a wonderful opportunity to get to know everyone here much better and for all of you to know me better. As far as calling him every day, that's what friends are for. I looked forward to our brief phone calls every night. I learned how easy it was to make such an impact on another's person's life. Kindness and understanding is all that it took. Effortless.

I was fortunate to also get to know two of his closest trucker buddies, and they are both great guys that I'm so happy to have met by phone contact. These guys and all of you are his family. That we all share this sadness together means so much to me. Thank you, everyone, for being there for Rainbow Rick and for me, too.

As I retreated to my hot tub last night to melt the day away, I got an overwhelming feeling of appreciation for all of you and started thinking that it's a very true fact that people can become close friends with people that they've never met face to face. Strange, but true. We're all living proof of that.

I also thought, Abe, that Rick would have something amusing to add to my tribute to him. I'm hoping that his presence will be felt when I'm struggling with my writing, looking for just that bit of humor to be added.

I wish that his children would've put aside their differences and reconciled with him and come to his aid when he needed them so badly as he lay staring at the ceiling day after day not knowing if they'd show. It was a slow torture for him, and it was a blessing that he was finally called home peacefully.

ALL OF YOU are his family, and I extend my condolences to every one of you, too. We've all learned how precious our time on earth is. Time should not be wasted on things that don't matter. It's much easier to smile than it is to frown. And laughing is a great medicine for what ails you.

Although cards didn't get through to him, he knew that they were sent and he knew that all of you cared. I made sure to tell him every night, never knowing if it'd be the last chance.

Rick was quite a special guy. He appreciated every one of you so much. He enjoyed life and he enjoyed the humor of life. We're all better off for knowing this colorful character who touched our lives so briefly, yet left such an indelible mark.

Helen,

I told my husband about Rainbow, how we had similar symptoms, how I knew I could have had the same diagnosis as Rainbow. The cancer diagnosis brought us devastation, but here I am alive and Rainbow is not. Life and death are such mysteries. I am saddened and wish things could have been otherwise, and somehow cancer has lost some of the devastation. Tomorrow I will again awaken, breathe, and be here.

I think of Rainbow and how he lost his wife and the other sadness in his life, but he brought us joy and friendship.

Thank you for letting us know all that happened and all you did for him.

Carol

Oh, Carol! What a story you have! To feel grateful for having cancer. I can't even imagine how you feel. I am so sorry that you have had to face this. What kind words you speak. You are such a special person. I pray that things go well for you. Thank you so much for posting today.

Love,

Helen

I'm sorry I never met Rainbow in the forums. Helen, you have been steadfast posting as a true friend. I send my prayers and condolescenses to the family as well. I get teary-eyed thinking of all the loss you have gone through. God bless you and stay true to your friends. E

I only knew Rainbow through this forum...and, now through the anthology. I can tell by the words of people who knew him much better--he was a special person.

One thing that struck me, though...how wonderful that his words live on, speaking for him even now.

Dear Rhett, Your story is the second one in the anthology. I loved your story of fishing. My goodness! I do love to fish. I do not think you are mad at all! I wish we lived closer to each other.

What a kind heart you have to tell such a story of love. I can see you and I floating the shallows, trolling with shrimp, drinking a nice gin and tonic, feet up on the edge, moon shining down, lots and lots and lots of mosquito spray, some cuban sandwiches in the cooler. Ah! life gets no better on an evening in Florida.
Love,
Betty

Yesterday my thoughts turned to Richard Baum (Rainbow) and it made me think how short life is. Sometimes we meet someone, even very briefly, whose words or presence touches us and will remain with us forever. That memory helped me overcome an impulse to harbor ill feelings about something, not really important, that could affect a friendship. People are important - things are not. Everything of value in life comes from people.

I am pleased to have made the acquaintance of so many people on this forum. I value that. Things that cause irritation are really unimportant - they don't really matter. People matter.

That is so true Abe, and one never knows how long they have. Or how long our friends will be around for us to tell them that they mean a lot to us. And that they matter.

Abe you have said it well. We have to step back sometimes and consider the bigger picture and what it really means. Richard's illness really demonstrated what's important, and how we can make friends in all kinds of places and in the most wonderful ways.
Come to think of it, that's a great phrase to live by Abe. People matter.

My mom--always the one with quip-wisdom--says it well.

"Live each day like it's the best you've ever had. You never know when your return ticket will be punched on the other side."

She's 91, so I listen to her.

We leave behind our stories. And, as long as someone is there to read and remember...we live on.