Newscoma

Things that happen during a crisis, and I believe that we have seen the mother-load in Big Memphis this week, can sometimes have a bit of whimsy. I know that’s not something that most folks talk about but it is there. Meeting new people under duress. Giggling because it fights off tears when you know the worst is in front of you. So tired, but knowing you aren’t nearly as tired as our beloved Steve.

Friendship has many joys even in times of trouble.

Giddiness sets in as does a bone-tired that amazingly you realize that both are so very equal in moments when the issue is loss. You never know this until you feel it in your core. These things are forgotten until they resurface. And you forget it, almost like how I imagine women minimize what labor feels like before they have a second child. It’s a wicked beast, these emotions that lay dormant until a tragedy.

Despite tears, there was laughter.

• Vibinc and I in the waiting room. Him talking about how my new tagline could be “HEY, I JUST TOOK A PICTURE OF A CHEETO!” when we discussed how others thought of bloggers.
• Or, Freedonian and I playing on making me a new template because we had to be doing something, anything, because we knew we were going to see some very sad faces coming out of Lauren’s room on Monday. We occupied our time until we knew we would be needed again.
• Steve laughing at a comment that GoldnI made on Twitter.
• Meeting KUT (Kindly Uncle Tim) who has to be the grooviest guy on the planet whose quiet strength lifted those who were grieving around him, although he was suffering the loss too.
• Dabney and Stacey Mac’s battle with Steve’s iPhone.
• Glen showing me the Doctor Who keychain as we went through pictures of Lauren for the services on Saturday.
• Meeting Ellyn where we became quite smitten quickly. She even was cool with me wearing Vibinc’s socks, because, dammit my feet were cold. Thanks Ross!
• Seeing Lauren’s stepfather get a birthday card out of his bag for her on  Tuesday. Steve and Lauren’s birthday was on Tuesday with seven years separating their births. This, my friends, is when I went downstairs and took a few moments for myself. It was an exquisite and devastating moment and was done without much fanfare but it’s power was great. Small, intimate and expressed the reality of the situation with such depth and reality.
• Love is amazing. All kinds of love and affection. We forget that.

I fall in love with Memphis every time I come here. Each visit makes me love this place, not just because that it’s Memphis, but because of the people I meet.

Once again, Lauren gives a gift.