I am so thankful to have known Javed for a brief time as his neighbor up the road at the Cocoa Palace, where we lived as a group of researchers in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Though it was a passing moment in the scheme of life, he was really unlike anyone I have ever met. Truly a gentle, welcoming, and thoughtful person, whose genuine love of connecting with nature and people could be felt deeply. I have thought of him often over the years. I will never forget learning from him about the stingless bees nesting at the back of the house; watching him scale tall fruit trees in the yard with ease; when he invited us to his home to have a drink and talk, and meet his lovely cat; or when he guided us canyoning for one last marvelous adventure in Brasso. When his family would come up that same warmth and ease of connection was reflected. The taste of a mammee apple Javed's mother Stephanie brought for us to try to this day is one of the most delicious things I have ever had. Among these moments are certainly many, many other times when his rare spirit changed my perspective or shifted my interaction with something new. I feel so very sad that he has been taken away, far too soon from those who he loved, who loved him, and who may have one day had the lucky chance to cross his path. Javed, it was a gift to have witnessed your example of care and love for the world.
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