By June I was at MEA, I went as a pilgrim.
Trusting the intuition that it was the right place for me.
Perhaps it’s our shared “Inoperable Optimism”?
Perhaps it stems from our love for our fellow time travelers.

Courageous Chip, relentlessly pursuing knowledge,  
Asking the hard questions,
Listening to his soul, his inner wiseman.
I adore his artistry and creativity with words
I deeply understand his brilliantly simplified emotional equations.

He has taken to heart The Obstacle is the Way
And through his writings he takes us with him through his Stations of his Cross.
His insecurities, his fears, his cancer.
His strength, His boldness, His love.

Oh beautiful Chip – Take heart
You have already won.
You live on in thousands and thousands
Like me – who are better for the love, beauty and vulnerability
You pour bravely into the world every day.

Karla N Diehl has led a non-linear life due to a sense of wonder and purpose intertwined with a high tolerance for risk. She has owned several businesses (both successful and not), took a gap year at 50 to join the Peace Corps, and subsequently discovered her poetic muse. She presently co-owns a boutique mergers & acquisitions advisory firm in Nashville, Tennessee.