Dear Greg...

I didn't know you long, and I didn't know you well.  But I know your wife, Sasha, and I know your children.  Through knowing them, and through the times I did get to spend with you, I know enough to know that you will be missed...by many.  And deeply.

If I learned anything from you, it is this:

Work hard.  Play hard.  Reach out to someone new with a smile on your face and a warm hand.  Enjoy each moment to the fullest.  Live off the land.  Honor the land which sustains you.  Give thanks.  Laugh often.  Be still and listen.  Be open and move.  Say yes to adventure.  Fight 'til it hurts, and keep on fighting.  Know when to stop fighting, accept what is, and roll with it.  Drink good beer....

I keep thinking about that last hunting trip that you and Sasha and the kids went on.  What an amazing memory you have etched into their hearts.  When you came back, the kids were so excited to tell me all about it.  They are so proud of their daddy. 

I spoke with Sasha today.  What a lucky man you were to find that woman...but I know it wasn't luck that brought you two together.  It was love.  A fierce love.  A loyal love.  A sweet love.  And that fierceness, loyalty and sweetness run through the veins of each one of those beautiful children and the woman charged with their nurturing.  You left here on this great, green Earth a legacy that will not be forgotten, but continued and strengthened by those who love you.  Your wife, your two daughters and your son will carry the torch you have left for them to help light their paths and brighten the way for those they meet.

 

 

I want to make a promise to you.  I will be here for Sasha and the kids.  I will be here when it's hard, and I will remain when it eases, because I know only too well that it can come in phases, and it might get hard again.  I will be here for the kids.  I will wrap them in my love and support.  I will empathize with them, for I understand what it is like to lose a parent.

 

I will laugh with those energetic and playful kids, and listen to them and let them climb on me....okay, well, only to a certain point.  I'm not wonderwoman after all! 

 

I will hold Sasha's hand, I will lend her my shoulder, I will make sure she is eating and doing yoga and asking for help when she needs it.  I will drink Yogi tea with her.  And when she forgets to ask for help, or doesn't want to, I will be there anyways.

 

And when she smiles, and her eyes shine, I will be there to give thanks for the blessings she, and you, and your family have brought into my life...and the life of my family...and our community, and this world.

 

 

 

Blessings of Love and Light, to you Greg, as you end one journey and begin another...and I extend that same wish to all those spirits who have struggled with cancer in their Earthly bodies...

 

May the Great Mother hold you gently in the palm of Her hand...