Photos are here! Click the link below to access a complete gallery of Sparkle Celebration pictures taken by Kara's Mad Max photographer, Lenny Gotter:
And that's not all. More photos are heading this way. Video, too!
Promo break.
I won't lie. In the days since Kara's celebration concert, getting through each moment has not gotten easier. In fact, they have only gotten tougher, and in a way that I can't find polite enough words to describe. Not that I would trade them to relive the first eight weeks since her evolution, but the accumulation of earthly life without my soulmate--yes, my soulmate, as much as we used to make fun of that term together--continues to intensify.
In two days, I will have experienced exactly five months since Kara sparkled on.
But as I've mentioned, I will continue to practice being her husband in this phase of our relationship. As they say, everyone grieves in their own way, but if you saw the show a few weeks ago, you'll know I REALLY do grief my own way, and I personally do not look at grief as a process or a condition that requires closure, recovery, or the beginning of some "new chapter." NOT that I don't appreciate when people tell me the experience of loss gets better... I do. This is just my view, for myself alone. Kara was my ride-or-die, and so she remains... minus the die part.
All of us do that at some point, anyway. What matters is how hard we loved and whether we tried to put good in the world and do interesting things. And Kara worked relentlessly at these strivings, because of the way she bloomed from so much loneliness, familial horror, and generational trauma. As a result, more powerfully than ever, I have seen the influence she has had on others--you could call it part of her indomitable spirit--and so the work must continue. This is the practice. This is the Way of the Sparkle.
On to less philosophical matters, I am quite happy with my Sparklebration socks by Airwear 6.0 that I ordered from Redbubble. They look good and they are quite smooth and comfortable. Check out the link below for a Special Edition version! You have to shop around a bit, but there are also several other Kara Picante-themed socks as well as T-shirts, hoodies, stickers, and just about any other merch you can think of, although I am still waiting for a Kara Picante knit cap and Kara Picante Underoos (you are most likely old if you get that reference). I have already bought several pairs of socks, which Kara would love, because she loved socks and wanted me to wear ones without massive holes in them.
THANK YOU for continuing to check in on Kara's blog.
Further announcements are on the way!
Until next time.
--Charles Austin Muir