A year ago Ned officiated at his friends Alistair and Susan's wedding. He told me about it and was so excited to play that role. They were on a seaplane headed to a certain lake outside Seattle. Because it started to snow, they landed on Lake Washington and he married them right there on the plane. The above picture is from that day and was sent me by Alistair and Susan's friend Molly. I will post the other pictures she sent as well.Today is my birthday and for my birthday last year, Ned sent me (from Ned, Vicki and Shaan) a Starbucks card. You know how he loved those coffee drinks :)
I later told him how I had spent it. I ended up taking four or five of the 9th grade girls who were winners of some game we were playing in my class out to Starbucks for "lunch." We spent the whole $25 or whatever it was in one fell swoop on a bunch of sugary, fluffy and goey Starbucks drinks. He laughed about that.
For my birthday, I think I'll post the little poem I wrote back in April. This will be my morning sadness and communication with him, although I know that I will miss talking him today and he will be on our minds and in our hearts tonight.
Tonight, Jasmine's band Poison Apple Pie has a gig at the Oakland Art Murmur. After that we will have some cake and celebrate. With friends, family and comrades around me that it will all be bittersweet. It's only 6:30 am, but I just got a call from Vicki. She was driving to work and called me to wish me a happy birthday.
My Little Brother Ned Who
My little brother Ned who
I just talked to won’t ever call me again on the phone
My little brother Ned who
flies seaplanes, enjoys kid trains, spends too much
money on coffee won’t be there at the next birthday party, the next Thanksgiving, the next Christmas
My little brother Ned who attached himself to a gigantic rubber band and jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, bounced back to spend the next twenty years of life living it to the fullest.
My little brother who proposed to
his love after jumping out of a perfectly good
airplane – luckily she said yes – had changed from his jumpsuit into that tuxedo to spend the next years loving Vicki and making a family
My little brother who became a brother to everyone was a fine Uncle Ned for Jasmine and Aaren and took them under his wing, up in the air in his plane the last time we saw him
My little brother Ned who had big dreams, a big heart,
has transformed on this earth to the Big Spirit in the Tuolumne pines and mountain breeze.
I want to kiss the earth that he is a part of and help
raise his child to know the big little brother whose spirit will call on me everyday to wake up and smell that coffee so to speak (for him it was the Triple Latte, extra hot, two shots below, one shot above the cream, white mocha)
His spirit will call me all the time to smell those beautiful roses, the ones we pass by everyday
He will call me and tell me not to ever be afraid
to dream big and act on those dreams
We miss you
My Little Brother Ned Who
My little brother Ned who
I just talked to won’t ever call me again on the phone
My little brother Ned who
flies seaplanes, enjoys kid trains, spends too much
money on coffee won’t be there at the next birthday party, the next Thanksgiving, the next Christmas
My little brother Ned who attached himself to a gigantic rubber band and jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, bounced back to spend the next twenty years of life living it to the fullest.
My little brother who proposed to
his love after jumping out of a perfectly good
airplane – luckily she said yes – had changed from his jumpsuit into that tuxedo to spend the next years loving Vicki and making a family
My little brother who became a brother to everyone was a fine Uncle Ned for Jasmine and Aaren and took them under his wing, up in the air in his plane the last time we saw him
My little brother Ned who had big dreams, a big heart,
has transformed on this earth to the Big Spirit in the Tuolumne pines and mountain breeze.
I want to kiss the earth that he is a part of and help
raise his child to know the big little brother whose spirit will call on me everyday to wake up and smell that coffee so to speak (for him it was the Triple Latte, extra hot, two shots below, one shot above the cream, white mocha)
His spirit will call me all the time to smell those beautiful roses, the ones we pass by everyday
He will call me and tell me not to ever be afraid
to dream big and act on those dreams
We miss you
