Rob Kells

Rob Kells

Picture here.

Thoughts in advance: I must say I'm not great at going to memorials. For one thing, I hate going into churches. I don't like the fact that someone died which brings about memorial. It seems to be such a shame that the person of honor is not here to hear how much his friends appreciated him.

In this case, I do like that fact that there will be a lot of folks that I know and appreciate to see and mingle with a bit (I'm not much of a social butterfly).

I don't like the social obligation part of memorials, that one is expected by social convention to show up. In this case I'm very happy to be able to appear, but I hold nothing against those folks who didn't want to travel half way across the country to join in. I'm quite sure that they also have great memories of Rob, wish to provide solace in a time of grief, and are as deeply moved by his life and untimely death as I am.

I don't like the fact that the people most in need of time to grieve, the people with the most feelings exposed and raw are the very ones who often (maybe not in this case) have to do the heavy lifting of putting on a memorial service. It seems so unfair.

None the less, in spite of these feelings, Belinda and I are very happy to be able to attend Rob's memorial and the fly-in and Andy Jackson Flight Park. Thanks to those who have made it possible. I'll be updating this entry throughout the weekend.

Discuss Rob Kells at the Oz Report forum   link»