Their voices filled with gold
I’d like to begin this Christmas eve with sad news of the loss of Leslie Harpold. To me, Leslie was the creator of one of my favorite Web 2.0 holiday traditions: the online advent calendar. I’ve been devoted to her calendars for a number and years and was surprised when this year’s stopped abruptly on the seventh.
This morning I sat down to write a Christmas Eve post - something jolly and playful, ’cause that’s what this season does to me. It makes me into a child again. I whine at my parents about gifts; I eat chocolate for breakfast and have a glass of wine with lunch (I didn’t do that as a kid, but you get the hedonism). Instead of joy and light I encountered this bit of loss and sadness:
It is with great sadness that our family announces the sudden passing of Leslie Harpold in December of 2006. We know that Leslie was a beloved presence in the internet community, and we ask that you keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
Leslie was certainly a strong online force and I’ll add my voice to many others: you’ll be missed more than you know.
Today’s Writer’s Almanac features An Old Man Performs Alchemy on His Doorstep at Christmastime” by Anna George Meek
“…he stepped into their emptiness to say
he lost his wife last week, please
sing again. Their voices filled with gold.
Last week, his fedora nodded hello to me
on the sidewalk, and the fragile breath
of kindness that passed between us
made something sweet of a morning
that had frightened me for no earthly reason….”
Read the whole poem and think a bit today, among the colored ribbons and the spirited atmosphere, of the way we’re all connected.
Tags: advent, calendar, christmas eve, death, leslie harpold, poetry