My dear brother Loren

"There are no ends in nature, only beginnings."

My dear beloved brother died suddenly while hiking with friends of the Florida Trail Association on 22 May. It was one of his favorite things to do. But I cannot imagine life without him. He was my best friend, my soulmate. He was always with me, wherever I was. I took him to Ukraine with me and he followed my every experience. He was with me all the way. Now I feel his absence more than his presence. It is painful, his early death, at 62 years old, just a few month before his book, An Asperger Journey, is due out. This is the story of his life, a life of achievement, of purpose and meaning. He was passionate about the environment, about his progressive political beliefs, about the love of the goddess. I want to hug him one more time. I want him to be here for booksignings. But it won't happen now. I grieve for my brother.

I remember what he always told me: "There are no ends in nature," he said, "only beginnings." I want to believe him. I want to believe that he is in the loving embrace of the mother goddess, as he fervently believed. One of his many friends said, at his memorial service, "The woods will miss him." Yes, the woods will miss him. The earth will miss you. We all will miss you, Loren.