May Day Birthday 68

This view, touched by Dennis's eyes everyday over the years, makes me pause and try to see what it was that he saw.... what a gift.

Fifth Year Anniversary

It was five years ago today that Dennis' life was honored at a memorial service at Philadelphia University.

This anniversary has renewed my goal of establishing an endowed Scholarship in Dennis' name to be given to a Graphic Design student at Philadelphia University every year. People have generously donated approximately 4/5 of the necessary funds necessary to establish this Scholarship. My goal is to raise the rest of the funds needed with the sale of some of Dennis' artwork. Dennis was a dedicated and brilliant teacher who believed in the transformative nature of international travel and studies. I can't think of a better way to honor Dennis' teaching career.

Four Years Ago

Four years ago today I felt Dennis's last breath on my cheek, I breathed it in and held it in my heart hoping it would keep him close to me forever. While our house is dark and cold from another winter storm power outage, just like that night four years ago, that last breath and the memory of the brilliant light that surrounded him warms my heart and soul.

May Day Birthday 66

everyday

especially today on your birthday

Every Mark

make every mark count
was a comment i could count on
hearing from Dennis everyday

i used to think he was talking about
making marks on paper

now seeing the marks
that Dennis left on so many souls
makes me expand my definition
of the mark

From Darcy

It has been three years since we lost my dear brother, Dennis. And though typically the anniversary of that loss doesn't overtly weigh on my mind, I know that it seeps into my subconscious every year and makes me reflect on that difficult time. (If nothing else, Super Bowl Sunday always jogs my memory about that particular weekend.) I also haven't made a particular practice of marking the actual day that Dennis passed away, but throughout the year I do quite often think about the two weeks that I was able to spend with him leading up to his last day.

Anyone who has had the all-too-rare opportunity of being at the side of a loved one in their last days is likely to share that it was at once the most painful and yet most beautiful thing that they have ever experienced, which is of course a curious paradox. But that paradox was certainly present for me, and those two weeks with Dennis are a time that I will always cherish. Above all, I am eternally grateful that I was able to pass through this difficult and poignant rite of passage with him in the close company of his family. There can be no doubt that this time drew the five of us closer together in a way that I know would have made Dennis very happy.

Losing a sibling relatively early in life tends to put a fine point on one's own mortality. But what I've strived to learn from losing Dennis is to not fear the end, which may come to any one of us at any time. But rather to strive to embrace every beautiful moment that we do have on this earth and in this life, and the dear people that help make up those moments. To appreciate the many powerful and joyful events that can bless our lives. Today I am remembering an untold number of such events and "adventures" that life allowed me to experience with a beloved brother.

God speed Dennis.

Notes Left Behind

We still find notes that Dennis left behind which he wrote by hand, tucked away in books and stacks of paper. I am always surprised, and always grateful for the reminders.