Ode to Summer

Summer Adeline is a cool girl who I never met until she made me a necklace with a locket for Max’s hair.

I only knew her from her website and some blog comments but I had a feeling that she was The One.

She came to my house from across town and presented me with the locket, beaming with pleasure at my excitement. She didn’t want any money.   She let me cry when I told her about Max, and listened patiently to the long harrowing story. She even put the hair inside the locket for me.   A lock of hair that I cut myself while a red-faced bastard from the coroner’s office yelled at me in Max’s bedroom.

Summer is an angel, and she is appropriately beautiful for the role. She’s a girl who Max would have fallen for, without a doubt.

I don’t believe that “Things happen for a reason,” but sometimes good things happen just when you need a helping hand or a ray of light or an antidote to all the stupidity and indifference you encounter every day.

Cyberspace has brought me a plague of malevolent cretins but it has also brought me Summer. Love trumps hatred. How could we exist otherwise?

Thanks, Summer! xoxo

This entry was posted in Art, grief, love and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

51 Responses to Ode to Summer

  1. WendyB says:

    That’s lovely!

  2. arline says:

    That is beautiful and wonderful!

  3. Lorena says:

    Summer sounds so sweet to do this for you. I’m glad that you can carry around a little bit of Max with you at all times, the necklace is beautiful. I have never lost anyone very close to me but I imagine that when it does happen I might want to do the same thing, or something similar.

  4. enna. says:

    Absolutely beautiful. Summer sounds like she truly understood what you needed.

    And I want to say that even though I’ve stayed away from your past posts, you’ve been in my thoughts and prayers. I can’t pretend to understand exactly what you’re going through, but grief is rough, and my heart goes out to you.

  5. Alicia says:

    Summer, you are a beautiful person for doing this for SW. It’s a wonderful piece and tribute to Max.

  6. It was an honor my love

  7. This made me tear up. What a lovely thing to do.

  8. Jean says:

    What a beautiful necklace, and such a lovely gesture

  9. Dru says:

    Summer, you’re lovely. And Sister, I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like, or is like for you, but I’m glad for your sake that the Internet isn’t just crammed with cretins.

  10. Sharnek says:

    Sister, I’m glad you’ve got Summer. Hell knows you need some warmth in your life right now.

    Summer, you sound like a truly lovely person.

    XOX

  11. BethUK says:

    I’m tearing up at work now. snif. The locket is beautiful. Dru is right, Summer you’re lovely.

  12. Dave C says:

    Beautiful, elegant and more precious than any gem. What more could you want from a piece of jewellery? Summer’s tattoo is pretty impressive as well!

  13. E says:

    Things like this restore my faith in human nature.
    Thanks for sharing Sister W xx

    And xx for Summer too!

  14. Stella Mayfair says:

    what a wonderful thing to do.
    the necklace, and everything about the whole gesture, is so lovely. thanks for sharing this with us.

  15. annemarie says:

    ah, i wish was so geographically positioned that i could have driven to your house. BUT, i wouldn’t have been able to bring anything so lovely with me.
    you’re ace, summer!

  16. Witch Moma says:

    The necklace: great concept & BEAUTIFUL execution. How very cool.

  17. Juli says:

    Aww this made me teary. I am proud to say that Summer has been my friend through thick and thin for the last ten years. I’m glad you two were united. You seem like long lost pals. Amazing job Sum! And beautiful words Sister!

  18. What a beautiful piece. How lovely that you’ve met Summer xx

  19. Summer, you’ve restored my faith in humanity.

  20. Kitty says:

    Extraordinarily thoughtful. When people actually act human, it brings a shock of hope to my little black heart. Summer, you are a good person.

  21. I want to say something… anything, but the tears won’t stop flowing.Okay, I’ll try…

    Summer is an angel here on earth to help those who need it. And goodness knows SW, you could use some of that help!
    XXX
    Suzanne

  22. That is perfect! Summer truly is an angel. Beauty all around and triumphant xx

  23. That is a truly wonderful gift, both the piece and the person. x

  24. Suzanne Walters says:

    Summer is my daughter:) I’m so happy that she was able to share her wonderful gift of love with someone who needed it so dearly. She has always been my shining angel and nobody is crying more than me. BTW – my initials are SW as well. Great job baby – love you, mom

  25. Bessie the Buddha cow says:

    Suzanne, you raised an amazing daughter. Summer, kindness and beauty travel further and faster than the mean and ugly things the malevolent cretins do. I was always remember this act of kindness; I can’t remember anything the cretins said or did.
    SW, the necklace is perfect!
    Truly hard not to cry reading this post and the comments.

  26. HelOnWheels says:

    Summer, the beauty of your gesture overwhelms my little, pessimistic, angry, brooding Russian heart. You restored my faith and made me believe again that humans are capable of great kindness and good.

  27. dust says:

    Beautiful Summer, mother and Sister… truly beautiful!

  28. nanu says:

    it only takes a minute when you meet someone to know if they have a butterfly inside…no words only love

  29. Andra says:

    Summer and Suzanne you are good people.
    Summer you made a beautiful piece of art.
    Sister you filled that piece of art with your endless love for Max.
    Sister, once more you have made me cry but I am very happy for you and this wonderful gift.

  30. marie says:

    thank you, Summer. from all of us who wish we could reach out to Sister Wolf in a more concrete way.

  31. Liz!! says:

    When you said that she was “The One,” shivers went up my spine. I love the raw emotion evident in your writing.

    And Summer – you are awesome! Thanks for listening to Sister and Max’s story…as many of us wish we could do.

  32. queen michelle says:

    How absolutely perfect for you SW. A gorgeous way to have a little piece of Max with you all the time. When my mother died I cut some of her hair too and have wondered what I could do with it for the last 3 years. Touching it and crying every so often just isn’t the right thing to do. I need to explore a more productive way to keep her with me.
    So very beautiful xxxx

  33. votum says:

    What a prefectly touching thing to do.
    Amazing.

  34. Sister Wolf says:

    queen michelle – Victorian mourning jewelry was often made with pieces of the loved one’s hair. It just seemed natural to me to want it in a locket.

    I know how much you miss your mom! You might try observing Dias Los Muertos this year by making a little shrine to your mother will all the things she loved, even the things she loved to eat and drink. I’ve been doing this for several years and it is actually very comforting. xoxo

  35. Sister Wolf says:

    Suzanne – Your daughter is proud of you, too! She showed me your picture and I could see how she adores you. xo

  36. Sister Wolf says:

    Thank you everyone who commented here for your support and kindness. I know Summer is probably overwhelmed by your praise but she deserves every word of it. Blessings upon all of you!

  37. Kelly says:

    It’s a beautiful piece of jewelry. I agree with you—things don’t happen ‘for a reason.’ But Summer is the reason there are beautiful things in the world.

  38. dana says:

    What a beautiful gift and what a touching, heart warming thread. The tears and love here feel like the warmest hug. All best to summer and sw!

  39. Carrie says:

    It looks so perfect, and she sounds so amazing…you know, I’m certain that your encounter has given you both a special gift, because that is what happens when people are this cool and open/kind with one another. Thankfully, this is the way the world can be sometimes, so it feels good to hear about an especially well-deserved human connection for two amazing women…

    Shalom y’all…

  40. Suzanne Walters says:

    Sister – Summer told me the story of Max and it touched me deeply. I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child. I think you are very brave for sharing your soul in such an honest and loving way. I always told my children to let LOVE guide them, and apparently it worked:) Must be all those Beatles songs I listened to as a child. My favorite quote is from the song in Moulin Rouge “The greatest gift you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to read all these beautiful comments about my baby girl. Thank you for sharing the story of her kindness.

  41. TheShoeGirl says:

    It’s really beautiful

  42. For all of Sister Wolf’s readers who haven’t been as fortunate as I to actually spend some time with her, she really is an amazing and quite stunning woman. I was just as lucky to find her.

  43. Ann says:

    Absolutely amazing – the story, the necklace, everything. Happy tears flow. What a beautiful gift from wonderful Summer.

  44. queen michelle says:

    Thank you SW, I will try that. Yes, I miss her as much now as the day she died. I relive the horrid moment she died every single day of my life. The shrine might help a little. I, possibly morbidly to some, have her ashes with me in my house, and Marie suggests I speak to her but it somehow feels silly – I don’t think she’d hear me sadly. But a shrine I could do xx

  45. james says:

    that is so kind and beautiful. what a wonderful person! <3

  46. Cricket9 says:

    I’m so happy to hear that, sometimes, good things happen to good people. Thanks Summer!

  47. Queen Marie says:

    Heartbreakingly beautiful xxx
    Bless you Summer x

    QM
    xxx

  48. hammie says:

    I think you have used up your life-time supply of cunt-ness like that red faced guy from the coroners office. And deserve a whole lot more Summer. xx

  49. tobilynne says:

    Oh, that necklace is just beautiful!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.