This page is dedicated to my friend, Mark, who recently lost his young nephew. Mark and his nephew were very close and spent a lot of time together. He and his family spend summers together at the lake. Mark purchased a large old wooden motor-boat and refinished it in time to use this summer. His nephew especially enjoyed the Ski Nautique.  

Mark is at a loss for dealing with this tragedy and my heart goes out to him. There is no easy way to justify the loss of a life, especially one so young, who seemed to have his whole life ahead of him. So many things left to discover and experience, it just seems so unfair. 

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says, "There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, "There, she is gone!", there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"     

Mark, please know that you have many friends who care about you and will help you through this. You don't always have to be strong. You don't have to do what others think is best for you. You only have to do what feels right for you and puts your heart and mind at ease.