Wandering...

"I've been wanderin' early and late, From New York to the Golden Gate, And it don't look like, I'll ever stop my wanderin'"  -James Taylor

We gathered in New Hampshire to celebrate the life of one of the kindest, funniest, adventurous, people I've ever known, who also had some pretty wicked dance moves.  Jesse is the oldest of the 17 Greeley cousins and I'm so sad that he never got to meet his first, second cousin, Adam.  Though after spending a weekend surrounded by family sharing stories, laughter and tears, I'm pretty sure Adam has started to know him, and we'll continue to share those memories with him so that when they do meet one day it will be as though they were long lost friends, simply separated by time and countless adventures. 

Jesse spent his life finding new adventures, climbing mountains, driving cross country to explore the wilderness, the wildlife, the strangers he'd meet along the way that quickly morphed into dear friends.  And the best part was he took us all along.  He captured his adventures in immense detail sharing them with us in letters, emails and stories.  I remember the excitement I'd feel seeing a new letter arrive and finding myself hiking the Alps along with him.  He was so gifted in his story telling and the amazing part of it all was that the stories he was telling and writing weren't stories at all, they were narratives of a life lived to the fullest, they were narratives of his life. 

So while he's no longer here with us in this life, I'm certain he's finding new adventures and I know we all take comfort in knowing that when we set off on our own explorations and adventures on this Earth, it will be because Jesse is taking us along with him.