It's the summer solstice again, the longest, brightest day of the year. We celebrated this morning by holding a memorial exercise class in honor of Sharon.
It's impossible to believe it was a full year ago that we attended her funeral, a full year that she's been gone. It still often doesn't seem real. It's easy to sometimes get caught up in our busy lives and forget for awhile, although I'm certain that isn't true for Jeff, Laura, Tom and the rest of her family, who no doubt confront the loss anew every single morning the moment they wake.
Our team of 40 to 50 fellow exercisers is running the Army 10-Miler this year to raise money for pancreatic cancer research, in memory of Sharon, as well as my dad (pictured above) and grandfather and many others who've been touched by the disease. The training kickoff was also today, designed and led by Ginny.
Pancreatic cancer is the LEAST funded yet the fourth greatest killer. Virtually everyone who is diagnosed dies, most within just a few months. Symptoms are vague, and diagnosis almost always comes too late for treatment to be effective. Pancreatica.org, the group we're raising money for, supports efforts to find better early detection methods so people can actually have a fighting chance.
Meanwhile, I'm losing another friend this week too, to geography, not illness. Lynne, who I met at the Mad Manor playground when Cassie was two and I was pregnant with Nickie -- almost 19 years ago -- is moving to San Diego with her family. We've been best friends and kindred spirits since day one, raised our kids together, talked literally every day, homeschooled together, shared books and our education, political and religious passions -- when most people thought we were completely crazy and obsessed.
Lynne (above, with me and Ginny the other night) is the friend I could always call and rant to about whatever new outrage had gotten my blood boiling. She is one of the smartest (but also funniest, bawdiest and most self-deprecating) people I've ever known -- reads several books a week and is a virtual library of information on countless topics. We explored many interests together, and most recently she's led the way down a whole new -- and totally eye-opening path -- with her 9-11 truth activities.
Yup, down the rabbit hole we've gone, all right. It's been fascinating to first resist, then read and watch and learn, and now see other people resist when I challenge prevailing views and raise troubling questions about that huge event and what it means for us today. And right or wrong, the journey has been incredibly stimulating, scary and fantastic.
Lynne and Faton and their kids, Ally and Will (who are still great friends with Cassie), and Paulie, our quirky, wonderful godchild (I watched him being born, one of the coolest things ever), moved to DC 10 years ago and over time (mostly because of Paul's particular challenges) our contact became less frequent, but never less important. We'll still have cell phones and email (thank god!) and I now have a great reason to visit San Diego -- their new place is four blocks from the beach in La Jolla. But of course it won't be the same -- no more meeting for a drink at the Four P's or Nanny's (and staying up way too late) on a week night, no more fly-by's or coffee dates, no more book and DVD swaps. No more knowing that even though we were talking on the phone, she's always been just 20 minutes away.
The summer solstice here again, a whole year passed, and more changes -- and loss -- than I can ever remember. This has been a year of incredible challenges, some painful, some scary, some exciting and new. My business continues to grow, my novel is slowly, slowly coming along, and life keeps moving forward, with or without our permission.
I guess it's a good time once again -- as the school year ends and the lazy days of summer lay wide open before us -- to remember Sharon, to hang onto her beautiful spirit, and to do the best we can with the gifts of life and health and love that we are still so lucky to have. Anything less than total gratitude would be a crime, wouldn't it?
