Monday, December 5, 2016


Charlie has been gone for five years today.

In memory of his ever present spirit, I returned to the Loop Trail in Discovery Park this morning. This is the trail where we first ran together upon moving to Seattle back in 2010. Snow had been in the forecast for the morning, but it was a cold rain that stung my face as I headed out. About three miles into the run, snow began to fall out on the bluff over Puget Sound. I wondered: could this be a sign from Charlie?

It didn't take me long to realize that indeed it was. Although I like to think of myself as being intrepid and self-motivated, indeed it was mostly Charlie that got me out of bed on dark cold mornings to run with the nocturnals and the mushroom hunters. He would lick my face at about 5 am imploring me to head out the door. And so it was this morning. I wanted to dedicate this run to him and were it not for him, I would have remained in bed and never saw the snow. So I was in the snow, in the muck, out taking pictures of the tree root I somersaulted over on our first run here, 

I still miss him so, but his spirit is strong with me. He helped me see the wonder of the world. He may not have sent the snow...but he sent me out to experience it and to know it was falling.

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