May 30th

A fashionably late post. May 30th was the long anticipated Campout and Walk for Life in honor of my uncle Mel who left this earth a little over one year ago. I had a link posted in my sidebar for quite some time, and will repost another link once information is posted about the 2010 event. A lot could be said about that night so I will only say a little - you could lose yourself in my babbling. Plus, I wasn't sure how to document and interpret the night, so here it goes.

Ever since Nano and Uncle Mel passed away, anytime something of nature catches my eye to make me pause or look twice, I feel the presence of my loved ones with me. As I walked by this burning candle nailed to a post in the pitch black parking lot, I paused. I even came back to it several times, trying to capture just the right photograph to convey how this candle made me feel. It was late at night or early in the morning, the church grounds were fairly full of tents and campers. The festivities of the night had ended and most were quiet. Here in this dark quiet was a lone, amber glowing cross, which emitted the smell of incense. I thought of my uncle Mel, and about how whenever he was around I felt a sense that everything would be okay, (also that I need to just lighten up sometimes). Since I couldn't park myself at the base of the pole for fear of looking like an idiot, I clung to that image all night.

I probably only slept for two hours that night (hence no pictures of me at this event). My mind was racing. My stupid work alarm on my phone woke me up from a much needed slumber that I would not return to. When I saw the time on my phone, my first thought was I must go look at the sky. I was not dissappointed, the heavens were open for all to see. And again, there was that enveloping hope that everything will be alright. Thank you Nano and Uncle Mel for beginning that day in that way. We miss you both with all of our hearts.