“Step out the front door like a ghost
Into the fog where no one notices
The contrast of white on white.
And in between the moon and you
The angels get a better view
Of the crumbling difference between wrong and right.
I walk in the air between the rain
Through myself and back again
Where? I don’t know...”

Death is a strange concept.

I'm 36 and I've never experienced a close friend dying. I'm still unsure of what happened or how. But I hope you've found peace in your passing. I will never judge, as one cannot cast stones against glass houses. But I'll forever miss the tremendous light you brought to this world.

I remember meeting you at the Paris Theater, summer 2003. I had just started dating Brad and he and SYX had a show with other local support that I cannot even remember, probably with ALL the bands that had "mind" or "cage" in their names... We probably made fun of that, actually. I remember Brad introducing you to me and I was instantly charmed by you. You sparkly ray of light. You were literally one of the most interesting people I had ever met. You thought it was cute that Brad met someone equally as lactose intolerant as him. I knew we'd be friends forever.

You had a special understanding with everyone you touched. Realizing how many you've connected with here in Portland is unfathomed. You are so loved that it's hard to feel upset that you're gone, you were a positive influence on all your friends. You had disclosed to me once that you feared being forgotten, and I told you that taking photos is my way of making sure that doesn't happen. I refuse to let that happen. So here they all are, as many as I could find in files and folders, tucked away.

Thank you for being so kind, so real, and overall so genuinely you.
I love you Reg, and I'm going to miss you, friend.

For Reggie