Over just the past week, I’ve been confronted with death three times, each time beautiful in its own way.

Outside of my parents and sister who had courtside seats to the creation of Jake Doe Burning Bright, two of my biggest supporters were friends who’d known me the longest, even though we hadn’t spent any time together lately. My best friend starting around the age of fourteen and my high school girlfriend have been encouraging and optimistic, seeking out early chapters to read.

I instinctively chose spots in magnificent natural settings—the peaceful Battenkill River Valley, Vermont, staring up at Mount Equinox from my front stoop; a rushing river out my back door in Gorham, New Hampshire; a marvelous, serene, long-range view of Wilson Pond out my window in Greenville, Maine; a studio apartment isolated in the woods, steps from Acadia National Park; a historic, top-floor apartment in Eastport, Maine, with panoramic views of the Pasamaquoddy Bay…

But I guess my favorite sign I’ve discovered so far is the one that captions this blog post. The word sign doesn’t do it justice. It’s a work of art, displayed on an old brick building just on the edge of downtown Skowhegan, Maine. A group of presumably young artists—Amber, Daken, Layla, Megan, Maddy, Norle, Kim, and Sydalia—created it as part of the 2023 MLK Semester of Service Project.

Seeing it in person was special. I stopped at 9am on a Wednesday morning and was the only one there in an empty dirt parking lot. It’s a big lake, but in an accessible kind of way. The loop around the perimeter is about three and a half miles. I didn’t walk it. I was too busy taking photos and videos and marveling at the scene.

Jumping off my soapbox now… I made two memorable stops in my travels that Jake did not have time to make as he sped across Vermont and New Hampshire on his way to Ember Road. The two stops? Abraham and the Buddha. I was torn on which photo to use in the caption, but my favorite President and historical figure won out. I don’t think my decision disturbed the Buddha one bit.