With love: Rest In Peace JBL

There are dozens of photos and videos that I'd like to post on here, and I had meant to write something in-depth and meaningful about what I've been involved with for the last year or so, but reality stepped in and helped me focus on what was the true underlying purpose for my being in Louisiana. So please forget anything related to work or a silly little flood or fireworks on New Year's Eve or what adventure comes next - that all pales when sitting next to the surprisingly powerful pain and grief I feel over the recent passing of my brother Barret. My eyes water simply typing those words, as if each letter is one more stone weighing down the truth and finality of his death. Was it expected? Sure. The Sarcoma which his body was fighting is an extremely serious and aggressive disease likely to end most people who have it. But "likely" isn't "definitely" and so Barret, despite his aversion to ever undergoing chemotherapy again, chose to dive right back into the mouth of the beast for one reason: HOPE ... that slim but beautiful chance that this could be beaten. He had a heart many times bigger than I'll ever know, and the bravery with which he faced his struggle is inspirational to me and all who knew him. As we grew older and followed our separate paths a distance grew between us that I see as both natural and unfortunate, but I still considered the person in the photos below as one of the sharpest, funniest, most honest souls I ever had the pleasure to know. His loss is our pain, but his life was our gain. He'll remain perhaps stronger with us in spirit than he could have been during his fight, and he'll certainly live on in the hearts of many.