124 STEPS

Week 14.  Digital Video, Color, 3:33

Every week is a challenge, but this week's film was especially difficult.

This week 23 years ago, my brother Charlie was murdered.

I would like to be able to say something familiar and comforting...a line like: After so many years I've learned that time really does heal all wounds and with each passing year the pain gets a little easier to deal with.

But that's not really true. It doesn't get any easier each year. It doesn't necessarily get worse either. It just gets...different.

Because who knows what will happen each year between July 4 and July 8? One year you might meet the love of your life and become so twitterpated (for the Millennials reading - that's a Bambi reference, not a social media thing) that your brother's death date passes you by before you even remember to mourn. And another year you might be so overwhelmed with stories of death and dying that you can't help but descend into the depths of your darkest memories and feel the tragedy all over again.

I far prefer the twitterpated, lovestruck years, but unfortunately we don't get to choose these things.