May 11, 2012 Day 18 — Maplewood to Montclair, NJ (9 miles)

Loss

I walk the short 9 miles from Maplewood to Montclair, NJ. The route heads due north. Given the elevation of the area, I occasionally catch glimpses of the Manhattan skyline to my right. How is it possible that I have walked this far since April 24th? However, it’s not time for me to go into the city quite yet. I rejoice for arriving at today’s final destination well before noon—a new experience for me.

Tom Nammack, dear friend from Shipley and now Head at Montclair Kimberley Academy, warmly welcomes me to the school and to my well-deserved, two-day rest stop with the family. Tom, Zandi, and I have much to catch up on. I spend the day visiting the three school campuses and meet the principal of each one. How delightful for me to be in the company of such intelligent educators and to engage in rich conversations about pedagogy, professional development of teachers, age-appropriate curriculum, the role of homework in schools (based on our recent viewing of documentary film, The Race to Nowhere), MKA’s present strengths and challenges ahead, and its educational mission as a private school in the New York area. We also talk about Nathaniel, BDD, and the increase in anxiety disorders in children.

After dinner, we attend the candlelight vigil held outside on the school grounds for Everett Glenn, Class of 2011, who died as a freshman last Saturday at Lafayette College. I am overwhelmed by feelings of sadness and loss for this young man, for Nathaniel, and for all others who have died young. I know the excruciating pain of such a loss. It is the very reason why I’m “Walking with Nathaniel.” The world deserves to have these talented young men for much longer. How do we, parents, siblings, friends, classmates and fellow travelers on earth, make any sense of a loss of this magnitude? As the wax candles in our hands burn and give off their bright light, I think of how each one of us has been drawn out of darkness for having known them. It is now our duty to shine even brighter in the world on their behalf.