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Yesterday was the 2-year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti. Similarly to last year....and essentially what I figure will be a tradition for me now....I spent the day with my family. We got together, we had a dinner, we shared stories, reminisced, laughed and cried.

I had this grandiose notion of doing this epic pic in honor of the family I lost in that horrific event. But as the day moved on, I was filled with the happiest moments I spent with many of them. A far cry from last year, in which I focused more on letting go and moving on.

The get together was at an Uncle's house, and as I went to the den to mingle with two other Uncles, I was instantly transported to a night almost 3 years ago that was spent in the very same room. My cousin, Chelsea LaGuerre---a young girl brimming with wit, creativity and charm---excitedly sat on her personal floor mat while watching Princess Mononoke for the first time. She stared wide-eyed and in silent marvel, giving an occasional gasp every few minutes. She had this very funny way of swaying very softly from one side to another as she watched TV---that was Chelsea Code for "I REALLY, REALLY LIKE WHAT I'M WATCHING RIGHT NOW." The movie finishes, it fades to black, and as she leans back against me, I hear her say in a soft voice, "Oh wow."

I put her to bed after the movie, and for the next 3 days of her visit, she watched the movie another 3 and a half times. Before she returned to Haiti, she showed me her own 6-page comic about what happened to the characters AFTER the movie ended. Nothing she did ever reminded me of myself at that age more than THAT. The plan was to show her Spirited Away the next time she came to New York.

...I never got to show it to her...

But that night is one of my fondest memories of my beloved cousin. It was eerie how smart she was--and it gives me shivers imagining the woman she would have become. It's with a heavy heart that I remember those kinds of moments with the family members that were killed in the quake, but Chelsea was very much my heart and soul, and a very big part of what kept me going through my recent traumas. For the last year or so, I haven't really been able to think of her without reliving the day I saw her lifeless body, let alone the day I buried her and the 15 others taken with her. Nevertheless, for the first time since it all happened, I can relive a sincere moment with her, and stay with that thought alone.

She'd have probably enjoyed this picture. She always wanted me to draw her TOON-like...heh

Description
Yesterday was the 2-year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti. Similarly to last year....and essentially what I figure will be a tradition for me now....I spent the day with my family. We got together, we had a dinner, we shared stories, reminisced, laughed and cried.

I had this grandiose notion of doing this epic pic in honor of the family I lost in that horrific event. But as the day moved on, I was filled with the happiest moments I spent with many of them. A far cry from last year, in which I focused more on letting go and moving on.

The get together was at an Uncle's house, and as I went to the den to mingle with two other Uncles, I was instantly transported to a night almost 3 years ago that was spent in the very same room. My cousin, Chelsea LaGuerre---a young girl brimming with wit, creativity and charm---excitedly sat on her personal floor mat while watching Princess Mononoke for the first time. She stared wide-eyed and in silent marvel, giving an occasional gasp every few minutes. She had this very funny way of swaying very softly from one side to another as she watched TV---that was Chelsea Code for "I REALLY, REALLY LIKE WHAT I'M WATCHING RIGHT NOW." The movie finishes, it fades to black, and as she leans back against me, I hear her say in a soft voice, "Oh wow."

I put her to bed after the movie, and for the next 3 days of her visit, she watched the movie another 3 and a half times. Before she returned to Haiti, she showed me her own 6-page comic about what happened to the characters AFTER the movie ended. Nothing she did ever reminded me of myself at that age more than THAT. The plan was to show her Spirited Away the next time she came to New York.

...I never got to show it to her...

But that night is one of my fondest memories of my beloved cousin. It was eerie how smart she was--and it gives me shivers imagining the woman she would have become. It's with a heavy heart that I remember those kinds of moments with the family members that were killed in the quake, but Chelsea was very much my heart and soul, and a very big part of what kept me going through my recent traumas. For the last year or so, I haven't really been able to think of her without reliving the day I saw her lifeless body, let alone the day I buried her and the 15 others taken with her. Nevertheless, for the first time since it all happened, I can relive a sincere moment with her, and stay with that thought alone.

She'd have probably enjoyed this picture. She always wanted me to draw her TOON-like...heh