I have recently returned to my love of fonts. I was reading an interview with Mark Simonson (a St. Paul based typeface designer) and found one of his quotes interesting:

What upsets me most is simply ignorance about type among graphic designers — about its history or how it’s used. But I try not to take it too seriously. There are more important things in life to worry about. And for people who do care about type, thanks to the web it’s easier than ever to learn about type.

I like to think my Arial article has contributed to that. Almost all the feedback I’ve gotten has been positive. One funny story I got was from a designer who said he secretly substituted Helvetica whenever his clients asked for Arial on their jobs. They never noticed.

Now I think when I get home I might have to just download more fonts :) *sigh* oh how I love new fonts!

What can you feel when shock is all that's there?

So the other day, after a friend tried to get ahold of me to tell me some news, I called her on my way home from work. Then came the awful news:

"Laura, you know your camper Alyssa Beattie? She died this weekend...they think it was a blood clot that went to her heart."

I think that my own heart stopped beating for a second. I didn't know what to think or what to say. It never ceases to stun me when young people die. She was only a senior in high school, a CIT last summer at camp for crying out loud! She had so much life in her and so much left to live for.

I can only stop to think that there must have been some reason, some plan that it happened the way that it did and that some people get taken away way before their time, or so it seems to us.

It made me grateful for all of the friends I have in my life and how many of them have touched my life. I sent out an email to the Windjammers of 2006 (when Alyssa was my camper). This is what I wrote to them:

Hello my dear Windjammers,

I hope that despite the news that this email brings that all of you are well.

It is with great sadness that I have to write and tell you this. I am not sure if all of you have heard the sad news, but one of our Windjammers from second session 2006 is no longer with us. Alyssa Beattie died this weekend. She died at her cabin from a suspected blood clot that went to her heart. Her friend nor paramedics could revive her.

I just wanted to tell each of you that you all have touched my life and I have remembered each of you and think about you ALL from time to time. Life is too short guys, so please tell each other, your friends and family and those close to you how much they mean to you. I can honestly look back and say that your Windjammer year was by far one of the best counseling years that I have ever had the privilege of having at camp. I know that all of you will go on to do great things and now I hope that you do the things that Alyssa cannot.

I can email you again when I find out more information about the wake and the funeral. As of right now, I know that the wake is going to be Thurday evening in Anoka and the funeral on Friday afternoon. If any of you need to talk about this, I am here for you, as I always am and always will be.

Take care,
Laura

Thursday night is the visitation in Anoka and the funeral is Friday afternoon. I plan on going to both. If not for me to grieve, then to be there for my diabetic "family." We all have this unique close bond that no one but us really understands. We have never had anything quite like this happen before either, so it will definitely be a learning experience for every one of us. I think that there are going to be quite a few people there at both the visitation and the funeral from camp. She was a little fiesty ball of energy.

I am just sad that she is not ever going to be able to be a counselor. I know that is really what she wanted most out of camp. She even had high hopes of being bumped up the second week of camp, which never happened.

For anyone reading this, I want to give you some homework. I want you to go home tonight and tell those close to you, family, friends and loved ones, pets too, that you love them and what an important part of your life they are. I know that I don't ever say it enough to those special people in my life, and let's face it, you never know when it could be your last time to say it to those people, or perhaps the last time that they will hear it.