23 April 12

Alex's memorial was held in the theatre of our old high school. It was so painful and so beautiful. Mostly it was just friends of his, playing music, telling stories. It was nice for Alex to be remembered through music and in theatre, the way he felt most at home. Above is a friend of his, Chloe, playing a song she wrote for him after his death, entitled "The Good One". It was so soulful and heartfelt; she brought the house down. I don't think there was a single person in that overpacked theatre that wasn't struck dumb with emotion listening to her play it. You can watch a recording she made of the song here on youtube.

Afterwards my family went to the Black Sheep Pub, where a few of Maddie and Alex's friends and teachers had gathered for a drink and a bit of food. Steve Moore, one of my favourite teachers, sat with us and we all had a pretty good time talking about music and things. Maddie was especially grateful to him, because he was the only one involved with the memorial who really asked for her input, and that allowed her to give him a poem Alex liked to read aloud during the service. We were all pleased to see Maddie talking, and eating, and even laughing. I'm sure nothing about life is going to be easy for her for a long time, but sometimes a little distraction can help for a little while.