Beats Me

Unknown creature in the fig tree, barely visible under the big green leaves.

A bittersweet afternoon at C's impromptu drop-in memorial. The real ceremony won't be until August, but friends were invited to come to the house today, hang out and simply get used to the idea that a remarkable woman is no longer with us. The doors are wide open, kids running circles in and out of the house, tables laden with food and flowers, her artwork everywhere, people arriving, leaving--the whole event much like things were when C was alive. You keep waiting for her to appear, but then there's another distraction, someone you haven't seen for years, another face, another link, another story. Kids grown up, their own kids underfoot, a lifetime of connection. She was blessed to spend her last days at home, her presence is everywhere.