Relay

Luke just sent out a message this evening to the Carrie's Candle Facebook group about Scott and his friends doing Relay for Life in honor of Carrie this year. I'm really glad he's decided to carry on the tradition we started the year after her death. The inspiration for starting "Carrie's Crew" came from my first Relay for Life that I did with Carrie during the summer after our junior year of high school. The group was made up of Regina girls who were in the National Honor Society. It was mid-July, so I think at that point Carrie had finished chemo for the first time. In the pictures I have, her hair was growing back in and she was all smiles. One of the things I remember most about the event was how excited Carrie was to take advantage of all of the survivor's privileges that they had at the event, like the massages on a real massage table. I don't remember many specific things about what we did during Relay besides what my pictures tell me, but I remember our group being joyful and excited. I mean, a high school sleep-over always brings out those feelings, but I think we were all especially giddy that night. We were celebrating Carrie being with us in person and what seemed to be an end to an especially tough year for her.

Each time we've been back at Relay after that, it's been a little sadder. The celebration has focused on remembrance rather than victory. The candle lighting ceremony holds a lot more weight now that one of those flames represents a soul of our friend. But each year we did the Relay after Carrie's death, there always came a time in the night, when we'd given up walking and had stuffed ourselves in our tent, that the giddiness would return. We'd laugh and tell stories, and it was almost like Carrie was there, on the verge of telling a story of her own. I'm sure she was looking down and giggling right along with us. Her spirit was, and continues to be, in every memory we share. I hope your experience with Relay is as meaningful for you as mine have been, Scott. Good luck!