Bryce Kim Christensen Tribute

As some of you may know, one of my closest friends was killed in a car accident on Wednesday morning. As I drove by the accident on my way to work that morning, I didn’t make the connection that it was Bryce Christensen. You see, Bryce told me only days before that he had bought a new car and I had yet to see it. His father, Kim Christensen (also driving to work), came upon the accident, noticed the car looked a lot like Bryce’s, and called Bryce’s phone but received no answer. He stopped just in time to help them pull Bryce from the vehicle and ride with him to Mountain View Hospital. I received the news of that accident the following morning shortly before I had planned to call Bryce to invite him to attend our marriage ceremony in the Salt Lake Temple.

Rather than go into detail on some of the accomplishments of Bryce’s great-lived life (No amount of writing could ever do him justice), I would like to just include a scripture and some quotes that were shared by Bishop Cope at Bryce’s funeral service earlier this morning.

Bryce’s missionary scripture that he requested be on his plaque: “For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.” –Alma 34:32

“Before embarking on any journey, we like to have some assurance of a round-trip ticket. Returning from earth to life in our heavenly home requires passage through—and not around—the doors of death. We were born to die, and we die to live. As seedlings of God, we barely blossom on earth; we fully flower in heaven.” –Russell M. Nelson

“Death is only the blowing out of a candle because the dawn has arrived.”

Before visiting with Bryce’s family, I tried to find anything I had that would provide for them another memory of Bryce. I was only able to scrounge up a few minutes of skateboarding footage we had taken a few years earlier. Bryce wanted to make a skate video together at that time and wanted to call it B.R.B. You see, Bryce thought he was so clever because it was a play on words. It would stand for Bryce, Richard, Brian, and also for Be Right Back (meaning we will be right back with another video). I now think of Be Right Back as a reminder that Bryce will only be gone for a short time.

The song in this video is Bryce’s favorite, one that the two of us have had as ringtones for the past few months. Only after hearing the words from his mother did I realize the significance of them.

Modest Mouse – The World At Large

Ice-age heat wave, can't complain.
If the world's at large, why should I remain?
Walked away to another plan.
Gonna find another place, maybe one I can stand.
I move on to another day,
to a whole new town with a whole new way.
Went to the porch to have a thought.
Got to the door and again, I couldn't stop.
You don't know where and you don't know when.
But you still got your words and you got your friends.
Walk along to another day.
Work a little harder, work another way.

One of my last memories of Bryce was talking with him about moving out and attending BYU. He informed me that he would be staying home until his parents were ready for him to leave (Bryce’s younger brother Dallin was to leave for a mission to Sapporo, Japan a few days later and Bryce thought it would be too hard for his parents if both left at the same time). Bryce never did take my advice about moving out (thankfully) but I found through my visit with his family that he did take the advice about talking to his dad and applying to BYU. He was accepted to winter semester on Tuesday morning (the day after winter classes had started).