Samira

Please support my fundraising efforts for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

Kelly lost her father to pancreatic cancer 2 weeks ago. He had been diagnosed only 4 months ago. Think about that for a moment: 4 months. 4 months is a flash. Many of us have been unemployed for longer periods than that, have traveled for longer periods than that. Think about a semester in college. We’re talking a very short period of time.

I can’t even imagine what Kelly, Brad and Emily have gone through these past months, having to say goodbye to their dad in such a short amount of time. I’ll be joining Kelly on her birthday for a fundraiser walk, in memory of her father: Mike Blanchard.
Please stop by my fundraiser page & join us if you want to, donate if you can.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Much love

sam

2 friends. each lost a parent yesterday. unbelievably shocking. life is so very short. in the end, we’ll all be riding the same bicycle i suppose. i just emailed Lucho to tell him how much i love him. i also just thought of how i would go through periods when i was afraid of dying, and how you would hold me & comfort me & tell me that you hoped that when the day would come, that i would die before you, so you could be by my side & i would not have to feel afraid or alone. 2 nights ago, i found my headphone box that is filled with 5 years worth of your notes & letters. i read them and almost smiled & almost cried. i almost wanted to throw them away. life is short, indeed. and, right now, i just want to say, if i were in those last moments, i’m certain you’d be one of the final flashes i’d take with me before the lights turned from dim to black.

It is caused only by magic or violence… (Stephen Wright, Going Native) today it is Thanksgiving. a rather strange holiday for us foreigners. it’s a day off. it’s a day of forced rest, since even fast food chains seem to be closed. but, here in Oakland, the violence doesn’t halt even on Thanksgiving. i knew something was up this afternoon, as the sound of more than one helicopter started to encircle my neighborhood. the close proximity of the choppers that wouldn’t go away, i already sensed a disturbance in the quiet that is supposed to be Thanksgiving. something had gone seriously wrong–after my 10 year tenure here in Oakland, i knew that much: something did not go right for someone. things go wrong, here in Oakland, every day. and by wrong i mean, people die here. people die by violence. sure enough, upon leaving the grocery store parking lot, we learned from the local news station that was reporting from there while some 5 helicopters were still circling overhead, that Oakland delivered us a triple homicide today. a mere couple of blocks from my house, at least 3 people lost their lives only a few hours ago & i am devastated. the news story shows my neighborhood blocked off, over a dozen cop cars, and a SWAT team encroaching upon the nearby apartment complex. the news offers its afterthought, as if it were an insightful warning: best to avoid this area right now. cbs5.com – 3 Dead After Shooting At Oakland Apartment Complex

I just uploaded a new mix, which is in the memory of a very dear friend of mine. Josh sometimes disappeared for a few months, but he always came back. A few months ago, I had that gnawing feeling that something was wrong, because he had been gone for much too long. On February 21 I learned that Josh passed away one month after his 30th birthday. He died of asthma. Sometimes I hear a car drive by, and I’m convinced it’s him. Sometimes I try to understand that I will never see Josh again. Goodbye, Friend. Thank you for our friendship of seven years. You are sorely missed.