A Beautiful Friend’s Encouragement
I’ve waited a month to write this blog about Caroline Kaplan Lemoine. Caroline passed away on July 12th. Caroline was a very dear friend to me. She was the type of person who would ask, “How are you doing?” and she honestly wanted to know. She was strong, smart, and beautiful, with an incredible sense of humor. She married a good friend of mine, Paul Lemoine. I’ve always been proud that I introduced them to each other at the Bayview Yacht Club. I know this location sounds extravagant, but it wasn't. The Bayview Yacht Club was a pickup bar overlooking a field of weeds. It was wonderful to have two friends who were married. Caroline was Jewish, and whenever we were together. She would always sing to me, “Matchmaker, Matchmaker. Make me a Match…” from the Broadway show, Fiddler on the Roof.
This past January, Caroline visited me here in Lafayette. Being the class act that she was, she brought me Mardi Gras kitchen towels (Mardi Gras was her favorite holiday) and a bottle of fine bourbon. Before we went to my friend’s house for a get-together, we sat in my den, and I checked my emails before we left. An email inviting me to submit my short films to a film festival in Marina Del Rey, California popped up. I told Caroline it would be nice to attend, but I felt my films had a good run on the festival circuit, and it was time to appreciate each one's success and focus on creating a new project. She told me I was an idiot and should keep celebrating my comedy short films, and we wouldn't leave my apartment until I hit the submission button – so I did to appease her.
I attended Caroline’s funeral in disbelief. I still cannot accept that this extraordinary person—an amazing mother, wife, and friend—is gone. Caroline’s world was her twin sons, Crawford and Conner. She and Paul have done an extraordinary job raising these upstanding young men, and there’s no doubt in my mind that Paul will continue giving them the love and support– making Conner and Crawford the one priority in his life.
Two weeks after Caroline’s funeral, I received an email saying all three of my films had been selected and nominated for the festival she had encouraged me to enter. Honestly, I had forgotten I had even submitted them.
This September, I plan on attending the RayD8 Film Festival in honor of Caroline. This will be the only time when winning doesn’t matter, because I have already won by knowing Caroline Kaplan Lemoine, who has made everyone she touched in her life better people just by knowing her.
- David
