I swim every year for my own heart, for the beauty of the community, and to aid all those in our community that need support through the last journey in their lives that should be treated with the utmost dignity, care, and compassion.
 

This year I swim for my beautiful Uncle Mike, who loved with his whole heart. I swim to celebrate the random spontaneous presents he would send of pictures he downloaded from our Facebook pages that brought him joy wrapped in paper and probably about half a roll of packing tape. For the hand painted tree ornaments he would send to us each year or the personally made piece of meticulous pencil drawing art that he would send bc it just made him happy. And the sweet spontaneous letters of love. He was a man who expressed his love as it arose and didn't filter. A man who, when I was a little girl and felt sometimes an outcast bc of my intense unfiltered big hearted spontaneous energy, would love me with such warmth that I immediately felt safe and protected.

To Uncle Mike who died this May 9th so suddenly that I'm left feeling whiplashed and with regret for not calling more often and not getting out to Colorado to visit in these last years. uncle Mike, I know you loved unconditionally and the best I can do is pay it forward so this swim is for you beloved Uncle Mike!