Ode to Summer
Summer Adeline is a cool girl who I never met until she made me a necklace with a locket for Max’s hair.
I only knew her from her website and some blog comments but I had a feeling that she was The One.
She came to my house from across town and presented me with the locket, beaming with pleasure at my excitement. She didn’t want any money. She let me cry when I told her about Max, and listened patiently to the long harrowing story. She even put the hair inside the locket for me. A lock of hair that I cut myself while a red-faced bastard from the coroner’s office yelled at me in Max’s bedroom.
Summer is an angel, and she is appropriately beautiful for the role. She’s a girl who Max would have fallen for, without a doubt.
I don’t believe that “Things happen for a reason,” but sometimes good things happen just when you need a helping hand or a ray of light or an antidote to all the stupidity and indifference you encounter every day.
Cyberspace has brought me a plague of malevolent cretins but it has also brought me Summer. Love trumps hatred. How could we exist otherwise?
Thanks, Summer! xoxo
October 20th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
That’s lovely!
October 20th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
That is beautiful and wonderful!
October 20th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Summer sounds so sweet to do this for you. I’m glad that you can carry around a little bit of Max with you at all times, the necklace is beautiful. I have never lost anyone very close to me but I imagine that when it does happen I might want to do the same thing, or something similar.
October 20th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Absolutely beautiful. Summer sounds like she truly understood what you needed.
And I want to say that even though I’ve stayed away from your past posts, you’ve been in my thoughts and prayers. I can’t pretend to understand exactly what you’re going through, but grief is rough, and my heart goes out to you.
October 20th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Summer, you are a beautiful person for doing this for SW. It’s a wonderful piece and tribute to Max.
October 20th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
It was an honor my love
October 20th, 2010 at 11:02 pm
This made me tear up. What a lovely thing to do.
October 21st, 2010 at 12:11 am
What a beautiful necklace, and such a lovely gesture
October 21st, 2010 at 12:20 am
Summer, you’re lovely. And Sister, I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like, or is like for you, but I’m glad for your sake that the Internet isn’t just crammed with cretins.
October 21st, 2010 at 12:33 am
Sister, I’m glad you’ve got Summer. Hell knows you need some warmth in your life right now.
Summer, you sound like a truly lovely person.
XOX
October 21st, 2010 at 12:34 am
I’m tearing up at work now. snif. The locket is beautiful. Dru is right, Summer you’re lovely.
October 21st, 2010 at 3:32 am
Beautiful, elegant and more precious than any gem. What more could you want from a piece of jewellery? Summer’s tattoo is pretty impressive as well!
October 21st, 2010 at 3:42 am
Things like this restore my faith in human nature.
Thanks for sharing Sister W xx
And xx for Summer too!
October 21st, 2010 at 4:54 am
what a wonderful thing to do.
the necklace, and everything about the whole gesture, is so lovely. thanks for sharing this with us.
October 21st, 2010 at 5:29 am
ah, i wish was so geographically positioned that i could have driven to your house. BUT, i wouldn’t have been able to bring anything so lovely with me.
you’re ace, summer!
October 21st, 2010 at 7:20 am
The necklace: great concept & BEAUTIFUL execution. How very cool.
October 21st, 2010 at 7:25 am
Aww this made me teary. I am proud to say that Summer has been my friend through thick and thin for the last ten years. I’m glad you two were united. You seem like long lost pals. Amazing job Sum! And beautiful words Sister!
October 21st, 2010 at 7:40 am
What a beautiful piece. How lovely that you’ve met Summer xx
October 21st, 2010 at 7:51 am
Summer, you’ve restored my faith in humanity.
October 21st, 2010 at 9:15 am
Extraordinarily thoughtful. When people actually act human, it brings a shock of hope to my little black heart. Summer, you are a good person.
October 21st, 2010 at 10:07 am
I want to say something… anything, but the tears won’t stop flowing.Okay, I’ll try…
Summer is an angel here on earth to help those who need it. And goodness knows SW, you could use some of that help!
XXX
Suzanne
October 21st, 2010 at 10:13 am
That is perfect! Summer truly is an angel. Beauty all around and triumphant xx
October 21st, 2010 at 10:25 am
That is a truly wonderful gift, both the piece and the person. x
October 21st, 2010 at 10:33 am
Summer is my daughter:) I’m so happy that she was able to share her wonderful gift of love with someone who needed it so dearly. She has always been my shining angel and nobody is crying more than me. BTW – my initials are SW as well. Great job baby – love you, mom
October 21st, 2010 at 11:10 am
Suzanne, you raised an amazing daughter. Summer, kindness and beauty travel further and faster than the mean and ugly things the malevolent cretins do. I was always remember this act of kindness; I can’t remember anything the cretins said or did.
SW, the necklace is perfect!
Truly hard not to cry reading this post and the comments.
October 21st, 2010 at 11:23 am
Summer, the beauty of your gesture overwhelms my little, pessimistic, angry, brooding Russian heart. You restored my faith and made me believe again that humans are capable of great kindness and good.
October 21st, 2010 at 11:31 am
Beautiful Summer, mother and Sister… truly beautiful!
October 21st, 2010 at 1:50 pm
it only takes a minute when you meet someone to know if they have a butterfly inside…no words only love
October 21st, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Summer and Suzanne you are good people.
Summer you made a beautiful piece of art.
Sister you filled that piece of art with your endless love for Max.
Sister, once more you have made me cry but I am very happy for you and this wonderful gift.
October 21st, 2010 at 5:43 pm
thank you, Summer. from all of us who wish we could reach out to Sister Wolf in a more concrete way.
October 21st, 2010 at 7:52 pm
When you said that she was “The One,” shivers went up my spine. I love the raw emotion evident in your writing.
And Summer – you are awesome! Thanks for listening to Sister and Max’s story…as many of us wish we could do.
October 21st, 2010 at 11:38 pm
How absolutely perfect for you SW. A gorgeous way to have a little piece of Max with you all the time. When my mother died I cut some of her hair too and have wondered what I could do with it for the last 3 years. Touching it and crying every so often just isn’t the right thing to do. I need to explore a more productive way to keep her with me.
So very beautiful xxxx
October 22nd, 2010 at 12:57 am
What a prefectly touching thing to do.
Amazing.
October 22nd, 2010 at 1:01 am
queen michelle – Victorian mourning jewelry was often made with pieces of the loved one’s hair. It just seemed natural to me to want it in a locket.
I know how much you miss your mom! You might try observing Dias Los Muertos this year by making a little shrine to your mother will all the things she loved, even the things she loved to eat and drink. I’ve been doing this for several years and it is actually very comforting. xoxo
October 22nd, 2010 at 1:05 am
Suzanne – Your daughter is proud of you, too! She showed me your picture and I could see how she adores you. xo
October 22nd, 2010 at 1:12 am
Thank you everyone who commented here for your support and kindness. I know Summer is probably overwhelmed by your praise but she deserves every word of it. Blessings upon all of you!
October 22nd, 2010 at 1:15 am
It’s a beautiful piece of jewelry. I agree with you—things don’t happen ‘for a reason.’ But Summer is the reason there are beautiful things in the world.
October 22nd, 2010 at 6:01 am
What a beautiful gift and what a touching, heart warming thread. The tears and love here feel like the warmest hug. All best to summer and sw!
October 22nd, 2010 at 6:58 am
It looks so perfect, and she sounds so amazing…you know, I’m certain that your encounter has given you both a special gift, because that is what happens when people are this cool and open/kind with one another. Thankfully, this is the way the world can be sometimes, so it feels good to hear about an especially well-deserved human connection for two amazing women…
Shalom y’all…
October 22nd, 2010 at 7:01 am
Sister – Summer told me the story of Max and it touched me deeply. I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child. I think you are very brave for sharing your soul in such an honest and loving way. I always told my children to let LOVE guide them, and apparently it worked:) Must be all those Beatles songs I listened to as a child. My favorite quote is from the song in Moulin Rouge “The greatest gift you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to read all these beautiful comments about my baby girl. Thank you for sharing the story of her kindness.
October 22nd, 2010 at 7:31 am
It’s really beautiful
October 22nd, 2010 at 8:36 am
For all of Sister Wolf’s readers who haven’t been as fortunate as I to actually spend some time with her, she really is an amazing and quite stunning woman. I was just as lucky to find her.
October 22nd, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Absolutely amazing – the story, the necklace, everything. Happy tears flow. What a beautiful gift from wonderful Summer.
October 22nd, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Thank you SW, I will try that. Yes, I miss her as much now as the day she died. I relive the horrid moment she died every single day of my life. The shrine might help a little. I, possibly morbidly to some, have her ashes with me in my house, and Marie suggests I speak to her but it somehow feels silly – I don’t think she’d hear me sadly. But a shrine I could do xx
October 23rd, 2010 at 2:51 am
that is so kind and beautiful. what a wonderful person! <3
October 23rd, 2010 at 8:00 am
Love love.
October 23rd, 2010 at 8:11 am
I’m so happy to hear that, sometimes, good things happen to good people. Thanks Summer!
October 23rd, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Heartbreakingly beautiful xxx
Bless you Summer x
QM
xxx
October 24th, 2010 at 2:00 am
I think you have used up your life-time supply of cunt-ness like that red faced guy from the coroners office. And deserve a whole lot more Summer. xx
October 24th, 2010 at 8:38 am
Oh, that necklace is just beautiful!
April 14th, 2012 at 7:22 pm
Sister Wolf,
I just stumbled across your blog yesterday, and subsequently spent about 4 hours reading through your archives. Genius! I am sad to hear about your son. My daughter is an addict and is 27 years old. I worry about her everyday. Your blog has really helped me deal with my pain and guilt about her. I have been reading your Grief entries. But that’s a lot
to write about now.
Why I am writing is because of the necklace. I have a lock of my dear Uncle Mac’s hair ( he was gorgeous and beautiful and just a few years older than me and he died of aids when he was all of 33 years old) I keep it in a little box and would love to have a necklace made with it.I have grieved for years over him. He was an incredibly beautiful soul and colorful artist. I looked through these comments to find maybe some info about Summer and was thrilled to see she is actually here in Long Beach, where I live! It is so meant to be. I will contact her. I own a very small boutique florist in the East Village Arts District. I would love to carry her designs as well. Thank you for your wonderful blog. You are quite amazing