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For those of you who haven't heard, Brent left his body last week. He overdosed sometime Monday night, and was dead by Tuesday morning.

Brent's spirit was gigantic, powerful, relentlessly wild, and driven by forces that did not make his time on this planet easy for him or for the people who love him. The level of his giftedness, sensitivity, and woundedness was off the charts in so many ways. He took on a great deal, and I love him for the ways he forged through his life.

It's painful and beautiful and sacred to be in the presence of Brent's death, much as it was to be in the presence of his life. Each time my mind reaches for a place to settle, an interpretation, a way to make peace and understanding with what's happened, I am returned to the realization that there is so little I know about death, about life, about anything. The mystery is vast. i do know that I loved Brent deeply, that our connection continues, and that his life impacted me profoundly.

I am so grateful to have spent a day and a half with Brent a week before his death. I flew out to California to pick him up from prison and drive him to Santa Cruz, where he had to parole. Though he was guarded and traumatized in certain ways from his time in prison, Brent was in an incredible space - open, sweet, playful, and more sober, self-knowing, grounded, and forward-looking than I've ever seen him. We took a hike, drove for hours under a giant rainbow circling the sun, and cuddled all night. Most of all, we had fun and enjoyed each other's company.

Thank you to all who allowed Brent to touch your heart, inspire you, challenge you. If you feel called, I invite you to light a candle, say a prayer, or find your own way to connect with his spirit and send it support as it makes its transition.