In Memoriam Michael Minor

October 1, 2008

My roof is bare and my roofers are nowhere to be seen.

In my email this afternoon:

This is JP. Jenny asked me to post this update. I think it is only fitting
that while I was on the phone with her, Joe Ross walked in my front door. So we
sit here together trying to communicate to you the events of the last 48 hours.
Mike is at rest. 2:30 am the morning of October 1, 2008 Mike seamlessly and
peacefully moved from the loving grasp of Jenny’s arms into the restful embrace
of the Lord’s arms. He was surrounded by friends and family. Some sang, most
prayed, and all cried. We packed up Mike and Jenny’s things and left the
‘clink’.

We made sure he knew we love him, and that we would be okay, that
Jenny would be okay. That we are proud of him. That the impact he made on the
lives he touched would last forever. That we are all blessed to have known Mike
and are better for it. That no one can ever say they fought harder or more nobly
than him. Cancer didn’t beat Mike, it may have ended his time on earth, but not
for one second did it ever beat Mike Minor!
Join his family and friends at
Church of the Lakes as we celebrate the life of Mike Minor. Calling hours will
be Friday, October 3rd, 2008 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. The funeral service will be
Saturday, October 4th, 2008 at 11:00 am. Church of the Lakes is located at: 5944
Fulton Drive Canton, OH 44718

My grief over cousin Michael is inexplicable, except as it is symbolic. You shouldn’t fight so hard and lose. You shouldn’t have so many people pulling for you and lose. We stand our ground and shake our fists at the gods. In one sense it is absurd. In the other, it is a necessity of iron and diamond.

Took down my show, Night, at the Flood Gallery. It was a melancholy task. Two paintings sold, about enough to pay for framing. No reviews, of course. I have no idea how the works affected anybody. Is it silly? Is it sublime? No one says– which leads me to believe it’s rather closer to silly. September started with Anna Livia in Chicago and Night at the river-front, and however bubbling with expectation I might have been, both ended in disappointment. Is to have experienced these things and felt disappointment after better than not to have experienced them? Yes. Take that, Buddha.

This has actually been quite a hellacious half year.