by Dennis Augustine
November 1st has always carried meaning — All Saints’ Day on the Catholic calendar — the day my brother Michael took his life on our brother-in-law Joe McAllister's birthday.
When I think of my brother, I choose to remember the light, not the loss — especially our 2006 three-week camera safari that took Michael, Joe, and I to Kenya and Tanzania. I had invited him to join us, telling him, “Why don't you join us — I’ll take care of everything.” What a gift that journey became for all of us. Under the vast African sky, watching the start of Wildebeest migration in the Mara River, and looking out on the vast Serengeti Plains, we shared laughter, stories, and quiet awe. The wild became our cathedral; the sunrise, our prayer.
Michael passed in 2019, just shy of his 61st birthday. After being cremated, his thoughtful eldest son (my nephew) Michael Augustine Jr., gifted me an elephant amulet containing some of his father’s ashes — so I could take him with me on my bike rides. A way for us to keep traveling together in spirit.
Forever remembered. Forever united. Forever on the journey.
November 10, 1958 — November 1, 2019
