Forest has passed.

For those of us that knew him, we are not hurt. That is not the word for it. We have not stubbed our toe or banged our knee or fallen down.

We are wounded.

A terrible, gaping, throbbing thing, which radiates pulses of agony, horrific to behold.

Now they say that time heals all wounds, and they are correct... but not 100% correct.

Because this wound we have been inflicted with does not heal normally, it needs time yes, but it also needs something else. The wounds we have been inflicted with heal, perhaps fittingly, more like a tree heals.

What do I mean by this?

Well. Take a knife and score your arm. The flesh will part, the blood will flow and the body will immediately react, rushing to scab the wound, knit the flesh back together below it, create scar tissue. Regeneration.

But take a knife and score the trunk of a tree and that wound will stay there forever. There is no regeneration, it does not close itself back up.

So how do trees heal then?

Simple. They do as they have ever done, and they continue to grow. They grow taller, they grow broader, healthy wood and bark covers up the wound, and as the overall organism becomes larger and larger, the wound becomes a smaller and smaller part of the whole.

That is how these wounds heal. Time, yes, but also growth.

But fuck it's not going to be easy. Forest was a titan. Undeniable proof positive of the power of positivity. The cruel wrenching of his life from ours has left a wound that is large indeed, and it is going to take a lot of growth before we can get to that stage where we can look back on his memory and smile at warm glow it provides. But I will get to that stage, because I know this is how he would want it to be.

I can only imagine how those even closer to him than I was feel. I wish them all the best in their growth as well. I believe in each and every one of them, you all know who you are, and I am here for you, if you ever need to reach out for anything.