Big Loss of a Big Soul

This post was written yesterday.

My #ThemeSong today is Annabelle by The Duhks, because I can’t stop thinking about a friend, Mike Warnes, who died in a car accident last Sunday.

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Mike was a big man in every sense of the word.

He was an All-American football and lacrosse player, and his muscular bear-like body was easy to spot in a crowd.

A huge caricature of a smile nearly always graced his face, and it was delightfully contagious. Being around him made you feel warm and safe.

Mike and his wife fell in love at first sight, and he quickly took her young sons into his fold and loved them as much as the two beautiful boys they later had together. Seeing him with his children was literally like seeing a bear with its cubs, and I told him so (every time). He was a very present father.

It’s hard to contemplate how such a big soul can disappear so suddenly and so completely, which I’m sure is why Annabelle is the song in my head today as my family returns home from a college visit to attend Mike’s memorial service.

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It's been a tough week. To see my blog post yesterday, click here: http://www.melissarooneywriting.com/blog/2021/03/judy-garlands-ever-elusive-rainbow/.

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Melissa Rooney

Melissa Bunin Rooney writes picture books, poetry and freelance; reviews picture books for New York Journal of Books and live performances for Triangle Theater Review; provides literary and scientific editing services for American Journal Experts, scientific researchers and students; and writes and manages grants for 501c3 nonprofit Urban Sustainability Solutions. She also provides STEM and literary workshops and residencies for schools and organizations through the Durham Arts Council’s Creative Arts in Public and Private Schools (CAPS) program.

https://www.MelissaRooneyWriting.com
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Judy Garland's Ever Elusive Rainbow