Don, Jeff and Ken--Bran's Dad and two brothers--and I had just come from the lawyer's office and souvenir shopping. We're taking an approach with the Will that'll, hopefully, speed things up. Bran's family is blessedly supportive. The meeting went well and the souvenir shopping was successful, if overpriced. The love of a father. I couldn't help thinking about a t-shirt that might have read, "My uncle died and all I got was this NYC T-shirt." Alas, that's pretty true for those kids who probably have only heard or seen pictures of their uncle Brian. Those who knew and loved Bran received much more to remember him by.

John and Mary Ellen and friends had organized and assembled an evening of performance and testimony (and food and drink) that was so Bran, it was a shame he couldn't be there to enjoy it. Poetry, songs, bag pipes, stories, costume, musical saw, Celtic dance, drums, flags, stilts, juggling, bubbles and, of course, confetti cannon. There was more but I spent some time in the lobby. I'll share some memories that were personally meaningful.

Dan's story about a special night with Bran that ended, "and as we walked further into the park more and more fireflies gathered around us until we were surrounded by thousands of them lighting our path." And it's true.

Mary Ellen's first impression of Bran being a Hell's Angel.

Seeing Margaret's beautiful costume that Bran had built and wondering where all the pockets were and what they could've held.

John's magnificently dancing (Celticly) on and on, then singing a tune immediately afterward and then introducing the next performer. (I gotta exercise more.)

Tony talking about setting up a Ren Fair booth with Bran and Dale at 2:00 a.m., Bran quietly working, smiling, happy to be helping out.

My stilt chat in the lobby with the stilt dancer after her performance, while I drank a tall glass of white wine and wolfed down tons of delicious goat gouda.

Being drawn back into the theater, hearing one of my favorite songs, "Grateful," being played, accompanying beautiful, elegant flagging by Mark. It's a whole new world, flagging, when there aren't wooden rifles being thrown back and forth.

Dale's painful, eloquent and truthful talk about his relationship with Bran.

Seeing my old friend and accompanist David and singing with him again.

Hearing Bran's dad and brothers tell stories that reminded me how little we change from when we're children.

Listening to Ellen talk about Bran with such love and joy and being reminded again what a gentle, generous, magical person he was.

A lot of my personal experience around Bran in the past few months has been legal and bothersome. This evening, as well as conversations I'm having with his other friends is reminding me who I lost and what I've been given.