my heart hurts

this summer was filled with so much loss for so many people, and the fall has shaped up with much the same. a lot of people have died over the last few months, and i know with my mind that this is the way of the world, but it seems that, more than ever, the list has included friends and relatives of (myself or) a lot of people that i know. sadness has covered people's lives like a blanket. and even in the midst of the death that came to me this summer, there was the understanding of even more loss and more grief - the proverbial cherry on the top of the sundae of despair.

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5 floors beneath me, nigel sleeps. it has been more than a year and a half since we have been in the same room together (he has been on a nuclear sub in pearl harbor), yet the first glance at his face steered me immediately back to nights of long drives and even longer talks, singing into the night with all that our adolescent hearts had to give. it is funny how old friends never leave you, even when you are thousands of miles away. when a person is truly embedded in your heart, no amount of time or traveling can un-root them. and that is, quite understandably, just fine with me.

either tomorrow or monday, nigel will return to richmond where, at this point, our families sit in their homes, without power. i am grateful that my parents got their water back sometime yesterday, but it is uncertain when they will be able to take a hot shower or have any light or modern convenience. the thought of them sitting in the dark, eating potted meat and riding this out together is rather endearing, though....at least they have each other, the comfort of knowing they're not alone.

perhaps this hurricane has me all sentimental or something....