This post was written yesterday.

My #ThemeSong today is Annabelle by The Duhks, because I can’t stop thinking about a friend, Mike Warnes, who died in a car accident last Sunday.

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Mike was a big man in every sense of the word.

He was an All-American football and lacrosse player, and his muscular bear-like body was easy to spot in a crowd.

A huge caricature of a smile nearly always graced his face, and it was delightfully contagious. Being around him made you feel warm and safe.

Mike and his wife fell in love at first sight, and he quickly took her young sons into his fold and loved them as much as the two beautiful boys they later had together. Seeing him with his children was literally like seeing a bear with its cubs, and I told him so (every time). He was a very present father.

It’s hard to contemplate how such a big soul can disappear so suddenly and so completely, which I’m sure is why Annabelle is the song in my head today as my family returns home from a college visit to attend Mike’s memorial service.

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It's been a tough week. To see my blog post yesterday, click here: http://www.melissarooneywriting.com/blog/2021/03/judy-garlands-ever-elusive-rainbow/.

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