![]() ![]() Our son’s English teacher recommended it and lent me a copy. I just started reading The Alchemist today. I don’t know how he died, but danger found him. He apparently recovered and went back into the thick of it to help, this time working with people who needed assistance, rather than fighting in the wilderness. When I went looking for news about him recently, I found this article. Not too much later, we heard that Skyler was hurt. When I heard that Skyler had left to fight for the people of Ukraine, I hoped he would indeed be invincible. I think we can all feel invincible at times. My husband and I read the accompanying article. If you knew Skyler, this was a jaw-dropping image. When we got the Sounder one day and saw this on the front page, we were dumbfounded. When Putin was doing senseless things to Ukrainians, Skyler decided he couldn’t just sit and watch. Later I learned that some of the lovely people he met were Ukrainians. It turned out to be my only lengthy conversation with him. He told me about school overseas, some deep struggles he had emotionally and with some governmental systems, and going to Poland and meeting people there who were genuine and kind to him. It was the first time I had conversed with him at length about life. Many years went by, and I ran into Skyler at the Co-op, perhaps a year or two ago. I remember thinking things like, ‘That’s the sort of person I hope my son is like when he’s a teenager.’ I didn’t know a lot about Skyler, but I knew from brief interactions that he was genuine, polite, and kind. I used to point him out to our son when Skyler was in high school and our son was in elementary. You and Steve raised your children here, and I know I speak for hundreds when I say that if you are alone wherever you are, you will not be alone if you come back here to grieve. If you need to come home and cry, wail, and be held, this community is ready to embrace you. You know how Orcas is – we all laugh together and we all cry together. Michelle, I don’t know where you are, but wherever you are, we all have you in our hearts – parents who watched Skyler grow up, peers who went to school with him, teachers who taught him, and people who observed from afar. He died in Ukraine, trying to help other people heal from all the brokenness. She and her ex-husband just lost their son, Skyler Gregg. Little did I know that the post I would one day write about her would be this. Today, I am full of thoughts and emotions for Michelle and her family. I thanked Michelle at the end of my book… Those words helped propel me into a whole new journey, which has provided a place for all my thoughts and photos ever since. She said, “Edee, if you start a blog, I will read everything you write.” Wow. I was standing in Sequel chatting with Michelle Gregg, and I mentioned that I was considering starting a blog about the island. This blog and the book that came from it exist because years ago, a friend gave me encouragement at a poignant time.
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