I just wanted to say that I went to the memorial tonight. I don't know what I was expecting but I thought there would be maybe people talking about her or music or memories but it was a gathering of people, many who didn't seem to know Whitney personally. No one talked to the crowd, which surprised me a bit. Just a large crowd of people milling about holding candles. The mood didn't really seem somber for the occasion. There were people in the Starbucks but no one came out.
What I wanted to talk about was as I was leaving work at 5:00 pm trying to decide if I wanted to make the drive to Gresham for the vigil. It was pouring rain and it was about a 15 mile drive and I was very tired. As I do when I am undecided as to what to do I prayed. I wanted to honor Whitney and also, perhaps, show support to Whitney's family along with the others so they know that Whitney mattered to many, many people who didn't know her. I asked God to give me a sign. As I was driving across the Fremont bridge I noticed the sky to the right of me and I could see a rainbow peeking through. Rainbows are very special to me and even though I have lived in Portland over 30 years I can count on one hand how many I remember seeing. I was thinking how appropriate it was that there was a rainbow and I was thinking about double rainbows. I have only seen one or two of those and to me they are the most beautiful of all. I was wishing for a double rainbow for Whitney.
As I was getting onto the ramp to the I84 I saw a double rainbow! I was so excited and happy. For me it was a sign for Whitney. I wanted to get a picture of it so I grabbed my phone and I was snapping pictures as I was driving east on the 84, which of course isn't the smartest thing to do but I was afraid that like Whitney, the rainbow wouldn't last long. I just held my phone and pointed it at the sky and kept snapping, hoping I could get one good picture.
As I expected the double rainbow was gone by the time I got to Gresham. I parked my car and stopped at a little deli to use the rest room and to see how the pictures came out. They didn't
For some reason my phone didn't capture any of the pictures. I tried to take a picture and I could see that my camera wasn't saving any pictures. I was so sad that the pictures of something I longed to capture and keep didn't make it. I don't know when or if I will ever see another double rainbow. I guess there are just some things that are too beautiful to keep.
