A little help from my friend

So...about a week ago last Saturday, I had one of those moments that you always hear about, but most of us rarely experience. I am currently training for a triathlon that I have done the last two years in a row and due to the circumstances of the last year, my training did not kick in solid until about 10 weeks ago. I was out on a 6 mile run and about 4 miles into it I started to feel pretty tired. It was hot and I was working pretty hard. I was starting to feel like walking and typically, when the mind wants to give up, that's when your body begins to give up. Now, I think about Blake everyday. I see a movie I know he would of liked or a song comes on that we used to listen to, but at that moment when I was feeling my worst, I was too busy concentrating on not slowing down. It was strange but as I was going along I felt as if a surge of energy had coursed through me. I wasn't tired anymore, in fact my pace quickened and I sustained it right until the end of my run. Now some people don't believe in this stuff, but I have to say that I truly felt that someone was helping me along. Believe what you want, but I think that Blake, as always, had my back. Along the way I felt my eyes well up a bit and I thanked him. It was truly a special moment. I'm just glad he's still checking in on me.

Visit With Blake

Mothers day has come and gone. I was meeting my mom and some others to visit my brother yesterday, my first time since his passing. It was absolutely surreal. As I drove up to park my car, my mom was standing there alone wheeping over his grave. The sky was overcast, the wind was howling, and these big beautiful trees in the distance behind her were rustling with life. It was a moment I will never forget. I was overcome with sadness. I miss so many things about him that I never gave thought to when he was with us. We all hung out with Blake for about a half hour. It was quite peaceful. No suffering, no pain. Just peace. His presence was no doubt felt by us all. Mothers Day, Fathers Day, no holiday will ever be the same. But I am glad I got to spend some time with Blake, and remember...

Love Steven

My Birthday

So today is my birthday and it is truly bittersweet. My fondest memories of birthdays past is that Blake was one of the first to call me. It hit me hard that I won't be able to speak to him today, but going off of Aidan's view of Blake being in the Sun, he is giving me a specatacular day. I love you brother and I know you are here with me.

Blake, the Foundation, and the Slough

We're getting very close to the Grand Opening of the Interpretive Center at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers, Florida. Opening ceremonies will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 12.

The Cadkin Foundation is the largest private donor to the construction of this Center. Alan is a charter member of the original committee of seven who decided that it was critical to educate both residents and visitors about environmental issues in southwest Florida. Locating the center at the Slough (say "slew") which is vital to the ecological health of this area was the most practical plan. This committee called itself Friends of the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve (often shortened to Friends of the Slough). The Cadkin Foundation donated seed money to start the planning process about seven years ago. Since then, Alan has left the board of directors of the Friends, but Jackie remains a member of the Advisory Board. Aside from being active in the Friends, Alan has just received his 10-year pin as a docent (guide) at the Slough where he takes visitors on 1 1/2 hour guided walks. Jackie has just completed training as a docent and will soon be guiding walks as well.

Because Blake was such an avid reader and self-educator, we felt that supporting the Resource Center at the Slough was a proper tribute to him, and he was very happy when we proposed it to him. The Resource Center will contain a library of books, computer stations, and audiovisual materials to be used initially by Lee County environmentalists, docents, and volunteers. It is our goal to eventually make this center available to the general public, but that will require time and funds. To this end, the Cadkin Foundation has raised over $10,000 from our own donations as well as that of family and friends for The Blake Cadkin Memorial Fund which will be used solely to support the Blake Cadkin Memorial Resource Center. Each item in the Resource Center will have a golden sticker stating that this material was provided by the Blake Cadkin Memorial Fund.

An additional honor within our family comes in the form of the logo for the Friends of the Slough which was created and donated by graphic artist Tammi Cripe. (Tammi is married to Joe Cripe, Jackie's son.) This logo has been described as brilliant, and has provided nearly instant "brand recognition" for the Friends. At the Grand Opening, a representation of the logo with tribute to Tammi as creator and donor will also be presented and permanently displayed at the Interpretive Center.

On Saturday, April 12, at 10 a.m., the Interpretive Center at the Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve will officially open. It will be an emotional occasion for the Cadkin clan, and we invite you to join us.

We can provide you with info about nice facilities which are available very near the airport, the Slough, and us.

Part of the Sun

Sorry i have been absent for so long. I assure you Blake has not left my thoughts a single day. I miss him terribly and sometimes the weight presses so hard I can't breath. However, my son Aidan said something to me recently that was so amazing and I thought I would share it.

He told me that because Blake died he is part of the sun. I thought this was a beautiful thought because it means everyday that the sun shines on our face that Blake and any other person we have lost is touching us and filling us with warmth. Kids are so amazing.

Pizza Pizza Pizza

I love pizza. I have tried to deny this, but I can't. It tastes so good.

It makes me happy. Comfort food. Puts a smile on my face.

Pepperoni ooh so colorful and pretty. Yummy to my tummy.

They say it is not good for your health. I beg to differ.

What can be so bad about something so simple.

A smile, a memory, a childhood delight.

I love pizza. Oh yea, so did my brother Blake.

Is life complicated. I think not.

Take a break. Eat pizza. Savor each bite.

You never know. You might enjoy it.

Watching Blake eat his last bites,

you could have sworn, life couldn't have been more right.

CaringBridge

To friends and family:

I know how we were all so appreciative of the communication provided by the CaringBridge website so I thought I would pass this along. There is a mother in Vernon Hills who has been diagnosed with a muscle sarcoma, her family is also using CaringBridge to communicate her progress. Rachel Lieberman is a 7th grader that lives next door to me and she has done the following to help her friend's mother. I have copied the CaringBridge journal entry and put it on Blake's website so that if anyone is interested in buying 1 or more of the bracelets you can do so. The funds raised will go to CaringBridge per request of Julie, the mom who is fighting sarcoma. If you would like me to get a bracelet(s) for you I can do so. They are $5 each. I would like to help support Rachel in her effort to raise funds. I plan on purchasing these bracelets for each child attending Riann's birthday party this year and giving them a note to let them know that the money used to purchase the bracelets is going to help people who are battling cancer. (The bracelets are also inscribed with the word "battle")

Thanks, Laurie

Taken from the CaringBridge website:

I would like all of you to know that the daughter of a friend of Julie and Gregg's has started a fundraiser for CaringBridge (the site we are using to keep you updated). CaringBridge is a not for profit organization which is so helpful to so many people. I am sure many of you have used it before to monitor a friend or loved one. Her name is Rachel Lieberman and she is selling bracelets with the name CaringBridge on them. She would like to ask for a donation of $5 but will accept whatever you would like to give. Please contact Rachel at lieby89@hotmail.com . Thank you for your support!

Memorial Fund over $10,000 !

We have just received word that the Blake Cadkin Memorial Fund created to support the Resource Center at the Six Mile Cypress Slough has exceeded $10,000. The Cadkin Foundation established the fund, and many friends and family members sent gifts in Blake's memory. Since then, Steve & Laurie Cadkin have made a very generous donation, and contributions are coming in steadily from volunteers and supporters of the Slough. This places Blake's fund in the major donor category, and it will be recognized as such on the Donor Wall of the visitors' building which will be called the Interpretive Center. This building is currently under construction, and the Grand Opening is scheduled for Saturday, April 12.

Remember the ( - ) dash

Please click here and think of Blake:

http://www.dashpoemmovie.com


Alan

Celebrate Life 2008!

Though there is much to be sad about, I propose that we all dedicate 2008 to celebrating life in Blake's honor. It is very difficult to move on from 2007 as that is the year I truly got to know my brother Blake in a way I could have never known. He was a gift to us all. To acknowledge the passing of 2007 is to acknowledge a future without my brother. That pains me to no end. I miss him enourmously.

To celebrate a new year is quite conflicting to me, but I know Blake would want me and all of us to enjoy life to its fullest and make the most of every moment. That is exactly what I am going to do. I hope that you can all find the strength and courage to do the same. Just remember the courage and strength Blake demonstrated so gracefully when faced with the ultimate adversity life can throw you. And then remember he did it with a smile.

Love Blake's little bro (Steve)

2008

We wish all of you a healthier, happier NEW YEAR than we've had last year. We love you all, and we wish an easier, better year to come for all of us.

Alan and Jackie

B.J.

I still hear your laugh
I still see your scar (chin)
I still hear your wisdom

No matter how far

I still feel your strength
I still feel your love
I still feel your presence

Almost the warmth of your hug

I still feel your comfort when I am alone
I still see your smile when I am at home

I see your big blue eyes and wide grin,
I think of all the times you helped me search within

I am reading the books you told me I’d like
I knew at the time that you would be right

I love you I love you I love you I do; I know you are with me but I still miss you

Xoxo

Lizzy

The Holidays and the year to come

Well I hope all of you had a wonderful Holiday season. I know I have been busy as I'm sure you all have. I know that Blake would have loved to spend this time with all of you. I wanted to take this time to remind us all that Blake will never leave our hearts and minds, but remember... live as he did. Don't waste any of your precious moments. We never know how much time we have, so make sure you let everyone you care about know just how much they mean to you.

I was talking with someone about the sense of feeling the presence of one we lost and feeling as if that presence was not there. Here is what I believe and what I told this person. I feel closest to Blake when I have an experience that we would have shared together. If I am sitting and watching a movie and start to laugh, I feel like he is there next to me smiling and laughing as well. It's not like we are suppose to have these amazing sensations like we are being touched from beyond, but it is the everyday things that turn our thoughts to him. That is when I feel closest to him and that he is there with me.

My wish for all of you is that this year to come is better than the last, and while it is one without our beloved Blake...just remember to live it to the fullest.

Peace, love, and joy to each and every one of you.

Sincerely,

Todd, Alexis, Aidan, and Jacob

A letter from a Friend

I received the following letter from someone who attended Columbia with Blake and I felt that it should be added to the blog for all to see. Once again we find how Blake affected another person and the impact he had on them.

I had attended Columbia College with Blake. I had several classes with him, including stage directing. We were actually pretty close during those college years at Columbia, and hung out a lot together outside of school while studying our craft. We met in the fall of 1991, I remember we both just turned 21 years of age. Blake was a great friend and extremely talented both as an actor and a stage director. We obviously lost touch after Columbia. The last time I saw Blake was in 1994. I simply can't believe he is gone. I have so many memories of him including helping me during my most troubling times, giving me such great advice, and being that Blake that would debate you about anything--and win. He always reading some science fiction novel, imitating "Renn and Stympy," and wearing many different kinds of black jackets like the business suit one, the medium length trench coat one or the one that was really not his style, but he wore it with confidence was the black leather jacket with the silver rings attached to each shoulder over his preppy yellow cashmere sweater. I allowed too much time to slip by, and now I'll never have the chance to say to him, "I really valued his friendship."

My deepest sympathies to you, his wife, Lisa, and his entire family.
There was only one Blake in this world. He was simply an original authentic piece of priceless art.

With my deepest sympathies,
Amber Carey Gitter

The Blake Cadkin Memorial Fund

Six years ago, Alan was one of the founding members of Friends of Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, and Jackie continues to be a member of the Advisory Board. At the organization's inception, we made a substantial contribution in order to start the process of building a visitor's center at the slough (say "slew": it's a wooded wetlands with aquifers below which cleanse and store a great deal of this area's water supply). That building is under construction right now and will open in April. Because Blake was such an avid reader and self-educator, we told him that we would open the Blake Cadkin Memorial Fund which would maintain the educational material in the Resource Room of the Center. Blake was very pleased with this, and when we spoke of it he would smile and say, "That's great!" We have established that fund, and below are excerpts from a letter we received from Joyce Sanders, president of the Board of Directors of this organization.

"The many volunteers and staff at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve will never know Blake Cadkin, but his memory will live long through the resource books and materials purchased in his name. Through your love of this remarkable young man, The Blake Cadkin Memorial Fund has been opened in the Friends of Six Mile Cypress Slough's special account in the amount of $4,175. Thank you for your special donation of $2500 to this fund. These donations from his many friends and family members have assured a successful start to the Resource Room.

I did not have the privilege of meeting Blake but I felt I knew him. The beautiful words and pictures of love and support toward him {on CaringBridge} was a tribute to his strength and courage. I feel he would be proud to have his name associated with the Interpretive Center at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. Every book and resource material purchased through this fund will carry his name."

Thanks again to those of you who contributed to Blake's fund. It will be a perpetual memorial to his love of learning and love of reading.

Alan and Jackie

Remembering Blake with Sapphires

When Blake was a teenager he had his left ear pierced. Alan and I gave him a sapphire stud earring for his birthday at that time, and he wore it until we replaced it after a few years with a diamond. During his illness, the diamond was misplaced, and he wore the sapphire until he died. We are pleased and honored that he was buried with his sapphire earring.

Alan had been searching for a visible way to honor his son, and then it came to him. We have purchased sapphire stud earrings, and yesterday Alan had his left ear pierced. When his ear has healed, we will each wear a sapphire in tribute to and in memory of Blake.

Our love to all of you,
Jackie and Alan

The Holidays and Gift Giving

I'm taking a page from the Newland play book and suggesting that rather than think of ourselves this holiday season, we take a moment to think of the other people who are struggling with what took Blake from us. The Sarcoma Foundation has an easy to use web site to make donations to find a cure. I have personally requested as one of my gifts this year to donate on my behalf and I hope others will do the same. Let's try to help prevent future victims of this terrible disease.

http://www.curesarcoma.org/

May all of you have a happy and healthy holiday season!

thinking about you and where you are

To my family and Blake's friends:

He’s already there, take a look around
He’s the sunshine in your hair
He’s the shadow on the ground
He’s the whisper in the wind
He’s your imaginary friend
and he'll be there wherever you are because he's already there

He's already there, take a look around
He’s the beat in your heart
He’s the moonlight shining down
He’s the vision that you see
He’s a part of you and me
and he’ll be with you wherever you are because he’s already there.

these are some words from a song that I find meaningful when someone you love is physically not with you, I believe in them.

Blake you are missed so much, your sister Laurie

Blake Cadkin Wedding Toast

Laurie and Steve's Wedding June 13, 1998

Blessings from Blake

When the thunderclouds
start to rain,
Let the rain
fall down on me.
For the droplets
contain your spirit
Which washes away my sins
and covers me with love.

I missed you terribly on Thanksgiving. And then this morning when I awoke, it rained on me. Thank you and I love you. Dad