Rasta Will and “a scary I dont’ remember who?”

Monday, October 31, 2011 (162 days)

Hey Willy,

It’s Halloween today and one of your favourite days of the year.  What could be more perfect than a sack full of candy and a bona fide chance to be silly ALL day?!  A definite shoe-in for an almost perfect WillBilly day… the only thing missing would be snow.  And guess what?  …when I woke up this morning it was snowing!  But you already know this, don’t you, Will, because I believe that maybe, just maybe that unexpected, little blanket of white on the grass and on the roads this morning was you, wasn’t it?  I took it as a sign that you wanted to remind us that you are here today in some way and I have to also say that I love that you also showed your little Mr. Blue Sky side and melted the snow before the trick-or-treaters came out this evening.

Dad and I were unsure of what to do tonight, thinking it would be really difficult for us to answer the door and hand-out candy when all we could think about was that you should be out there too, with your buddies, going door to door for the big candy haul.  The two questions we wrestled with were 1) what can we do to lessen our pain today and 2) what would you have wanted us to do?  Well, we answered both questions and put the big Halloween bucket on the front porch with heaps of candy (little chocolate bars and tootsie rolls) and a note that said “please share the fun and only take one… or two”.  Then Dad and I and Ben met Justin at Earl’s in Westhills and we shared a lovely dinner together.  We talked fondly about how you’d have made it to every home in Redwood again this year and that your pillowcase of candy would have been it’s fullest and heaviest ever.  We laughed about the ritual of coming in at the end, tired from walking, but high on sugar and excitement, and how you and your brothers would empty your candy onto the floor in the middle of the living room to begin the sort ritual while Dad would try to steal your favourites.  And then the candy rationing would begin and last for days and weeks and sometimes months.   Sometimes some (ahh, lots) would even end up in the garbage.   Oops, I must confess, Willy.  Surely candy can’t last forever without going stale and seriously how much candy does one really need?!

Halloween is difficult.  Another hallmark Willy day because you loved it so much.  Halloween will never be the same without you here.  Halloween without you is like salt without pepper, or peanut butter without jam.  It will never be right.

Love you, Will.  You were missed by so many today and mostly by us.

Momxo