A gift from Jesse

I would like to thank everyone who has donated time, money, etc. in Jesse's name to various charities, organizations, benefits, schools, etc. It means very much to me.
Ed L.
And here is a gift to all from Jesse.

TIMELESS

The old ocean gray hat,with its soft veil and hatpin

Left over from a hundred years past
It crowns the pale face touched with light rouge;
A face not old, with the creases of thought,
Nor young with the image of naivete
Completely awash with knowledge and understanding.

Fire dances in the hearth
Reflecting off a silver tea set
Laid out in front of her like jewels for a queen
The embossing, weathered gold, glints faintly off rows and rows of dark
book bindings.

Silently, that face turns to me.
Just a tiny move performed with such grace.
Then the smile, a smile so perfect, so indescribable,
Warm as autumn sunlight, yet soft as dark velvet night;
Comprehending my every thought
And soothing every worry.

Through the many distorted panes
Comes a failing November light
If adds to the image, just the touch of another dark color
to the antique rainbow framing the timeless face.

I turn away, attending to the infinite list of life.
And in that moment, as in every other moment following,
She is gone
The smile, the face with all its grace,
And the image is incomplete.

Jesse Lopata

Relay for Life

On April 8th I will be participating in the 2011 Relay for Life. (Emily Jacke posted about participating last year I believe). The relay is a great event that raises money for the American Cancer Society. To quote them,

"The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length."

Needless to say, I am doing this in Jesse's honor. The team I'm on (called "Cancertainly Sucks") has a total fundraising goal of $1000. We would love to meet and surpass our goal. The team is made up of members of a student-run grief support group, and several of us have lost loved ones to cancer. So far I have reached out to Jesse and my generation at NMH, but thought that his larger community would be equally interested. Please feel free to forward this information on.

Please help! Go to my page http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY11National?px=19094203&pg=personal&fr_id=29326 and have a look around and maybe donate a couple bucks. The website is really well set up and there's lots of information about the event and where the money goes. I'm doing this because I loved Jesse and hate cancer. If you feel the same way, please consider giving.

Thank you,

Annie