There are places I'll remember
    All my life, though some have changed
    Some forever, not for better
    Some have gone and some remain
    All these places have their moments
    With lovers and friends I still can recall
    Some are dead and some are living
    In my life, I've loved them all – In My Life, The Beatles

During 2001, werty was chatting with me, in a bit of despair, about how he had been waiting, for a great deal of his life, for someone special to come along. When she flew by us all, in her cowgirl pjs, I knew she was as special as a handwritten hello. I was never so happy that it was our grundoon that captured his heart; seeing the pictures of their hand fasting brought us great joy.

    "I learn how to dig my toes into the earth to gain strength, and to reach my arms to the sky, defying gravity."-wertperch

Learning about her breast cancer was so jarring and yet she took it like the warrior woman she was. The ninjagirls decided to create calendars in 2007 and 2008 to support her fight. As things moved along for the first one, she became somewhat reticent from all of our attentions. wertperch and she were conflicted, she confided, about how to go about getting her pictures. ‘You are both imaginative writers, who love each other deeply. Perhaps you can come up with a fantasy and role-play it,’ were my suggestions, ‘Make sure to take at least twenty shots.’ The results were a creation that embodied the bounty of the Earth, a fleeting glimpse of her soul seen through the eyes of her lover.

    “If all of this seems a bit too spiritual for your ears you have never had the experience of waiting for footsteps that don't come up the stairs. It is a heartfelt silence that fills up the empty spaces.” – etouffee

Christine has left empty spots and where I once read archives to fill up on her clever dialog, I now watch for words from Kevin to reassure myself that he is doing okay. Watching QXZ’s video of grundoon and wertperch together is such a profoundly palpable gift. I cannot thank you guys enough, nor express the solace I, and many others, have received from it. What stands out the most is the unselfish care and love that grundy expressed for the sadness wert was feeling at one point of the conversation and also the idea that here is a man who pulled up roots, crisscrossed oceans and stood beside a young girl and her mother as they went through the most harrowing moments of their lives. It is plain to see that Kevin had to make a choice, and he chose to support and love such a brave woman while entering the life of an innocent child. It is a balancing act that lesser folks would quail at. Words just can't convey the sorrow I feel for grundoon’s family and the pride I feel it is to know wertperch; it is a privilege to add his name to my list of heroes.