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| Letters from Home |
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| June 10, 1997 My Dearest Tess, I walked away from the bus with the imprint of your hand on mine. First, It was white as your skin, but then it turned as blue as your eyes - and so it remains, a reminder of you. I miss you so much and it has only been two hours since you left. I stopped by the house on my way to work and read your note to me. Thank you for loving me - your love is my greatest gift. I also appreciate the warning about the cat hair on your pillow. But, because I wanted to be able to sleep with your pillow, I started to lift each cat hair off one by one. You wouldn’t believe what happened then! All at once all the cat hairs jumped into the air and started to dance around one another, swirling and gyrating in bizarre and beautiful patterns - like so many thin white drill teams dancing their half-time routines. And then I noticed they were forming letters - W E M I S S T E S S S H E I S L I K E N O O N E E L S E S H E I S T H E W I L D F L O W E R O F W I N D A N D W H I R L S H E I S T H E M O S T W I N S O M E A N D B E A U T I F U L G I R L W H E N S H E S M I L E S T H E W A T E R S P A R T A N D R E V E A L H E R K I N D A N D G E N T L E H E A R T W H E N S H E C R I E S T H E R I V E R S F L O O D T H E L A N D U N T I L N O T H I N G S T A N D S A N D T H E G R A N D E S T P Y R A M I D S D I S A P P E A R I N T O S A N D - I thought it must be a code. Can you figure it out? Listen for me between the ticking of the clock, I am saying I love you. I love you more than clouds, (your mom) |
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| On the bus to cancer camp - June 1999 While I stood outside the bus smiling, I was already missing you. As you rode away in a cloud of smoke, I remembered all the times over the past five years you looked out of that bus window at me - with hair or without, cheeks flushed or drawn, eyes sunken or bright - but always smiling, hopeful and so very alive. You have taught me so much, Tess. How to laugh, to dream, to wait, to hope, to dance, to cry, to wonder, to hold on by letting go. You are the “wild of nothing,” Huck Finn on the great river, Shiva of the swing dance, Mercutio of madness, Anne Gregory of hair, Janet waking, Inspector Clouseau in the closet, Joan of the dark, Buddha at his dharma, Sacajawea of the swamps, Juliet of love, Lucy of laughter, Aphrodite from the seas, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Tristesse of my joy. I will hold you close now and always. |
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| If you didn't have the pleasure of hearing the eulogy at Tess's celebration. You should read it. I learned so much and smiled so big. |
| Click the beating heart to read Laura's beautiful eulogy. |
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| Letters from Other Family Members ... |
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