To all of you, my unexpected family,

Today is the hardest day I've had to face since Michael's passing. It is quite possibly the hardest day I've had to face my whole life. My ferry ride home last night, away from you all, tore something from my heart. It seems so final now, and as I sit here at home in my living room writing this, I can't keep sadness and loneliness at bay.

You are the only people in this world who will ever understand what losing Michael feels like for me, because you feel it, too. And yet, despite your own personal pain, everyone stood poised this past weekend to comfort Claire and I in whatever way you sensed we needed. We were overwhelmed by the gift of your selflessness and humanity, comforted by your compassionate generosity of spirit, and genuinely moved by your boundless and bountiful love for a man I know deserved the very best. You are the army of the very best guardian angels God could assemble to send into this world to surround and protect the beautiful creation we all called Michael, and by whom we were all blessed for all too brief a time. That makes you feel like family to me. And, if it's all right with you, we're not going to forget you or let you go.

I wasn't ready to leave your collective embrace last night, just so that we could catch the last ferry off the island. Every other time I've left Cherry Grove, what followed was a long, painful absence from being at Michael's side and in his company. Michael's company was peaceful, and poignant and priceless. Sadness at losing Michael over and over again in this way has been my constant companion for many years. But every hug you gave, every story you shared, every moment of my pain you so lovingly and attentively nurtured helped restore a bit of what I'd lost of Michael. You gave him back to me, and my gratitude is too profound to be penned.

Never doubt your value and worth in this life. I have witnessed and experienced first-hand the depth and the best of your very souls and a world full of people like you might just be able to love death right out of existence.

With all the love a heart can send,
Mark and Claire