something tragic happened this weekend, and i can speak for many of my friends when i say we are all very confused and we are all hurt in a variety of ways. a  longtime camp friend and companion of mine was killed in a car accident, just having graduated from yale. one thing is for sure, she would have gone on to do many wonderful things.

im unsure if i can express yet what i want to say. i have experienced loss both directly and indirectly and even though i had not spoken to marina in probably a year, her death hits close to home. this past month, and year for that matter, senior year (especially senior week) brought with it a sense of invincibility. nothing could touch us, we were (for lack of a better quote) “young, wild and free”. marina’s incredibly untimely death reminds us grimly of mortality.

in this time of sadness and grieving, as we remember the sail races, emma del cups and read thru old warm fuzzies, it is hard not to be in shear amazement about the family we had formed that is still very much alive and tangible. the day after the accident, i was able to pick up the phone and talk to my fellow camp goers and know, that even if we hadn’t spoken in well over a year (a very formative year) they would still understand and support me better than many of my current peers could. though we often joked (and still do) about damn “family time” on sunday nights in the monomy’s council ring- i cannot express now how grateful i am for the time that was spent being chomped alive by bugs while being forced to cheer now having firsthand seen lasting relationships that came out of it.

this sadness has brought with it some time for reflection and i will continue to remember how grateful i am for my biological family and my family of friends from around the world that really are a tireless support network.

the afterglow.