Light me a candle, light me a fire
Come sit by the window with the shades drawn.
To the best of intentions and the worst of desires,
We'll leave by the Gulf Road in the grey dawn.
"Gulf Road"
-James McMurtry
Sometimes, even when you know how a story will end, when the end arrives it cannot help but fill you with sadness...
...and perhaps reflect a moment or two on the life and legacy of an extraordinarily brave little girl named Jackie Minchala, whose valiant battle against cancer ended on July 3. When I learned of her death, I smiled at the memory of last summer when lemonade stands popped up around Belmar and Lake Como, manned by her friends and her classmates, to help Jackie's family pay her medical bills.
It is a disturbance to the Universe's natural order when a parent buries a child. It simply is. Condolences to Jackie Minchala, those she loved, and those who loved her most of all.
I take a short-handled shovel,
I take a long-handled hoe.
Cover my bones when the West wind blows.
Smooth it off even, pack it down hard.
I'll no more be here but I'll never be far.
I'll no more be here but I'll never be far.
"Gulf Road"
-James McMurtry
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