I haven't been around. I just now found out. I feel like I've been kicked.

And somewhere in the back of my mind I know that what I feel is grief for missed opportunities. There's a hole in the world, a man I didn't know well and wish that I knew better. And now I won't.

Add to that, there are people here who did know him well...and whose grief is a whole hell of a lot more immediate. And I want so much to reach out and help them in thier pain, but I'm more of a doer in crises than a talker...and there's no damned place to send the casserole. But it hit me as I read through the thread....if this blasted screen, this virtual haze, doesn't stop the love and support, doesn't filter out the hurt....then maybe words are more than I've given them credit for. Maybe just saying that I wish I could help, in some way, does. The reality of the connections made in a place like this may not be something we can easily explain, but they are real and should be cherished. Maybe that's the last lesson Skip left us? For me at least.

My heart goes out to his friends and family. May you remember the laughter long after the tears stop coming. And then, in the end, know that you are more blessed for having known him.

G