Blazing Reader,

Today marks the fourth anniversary of the passing of my first wife, Nicole.

I've made several music videos in memory of her.

Ride Forever remains my favourite:

It's one of the few songs Paul Gross ever wrote and performed. The Canadian actor is better known for his role as RCMP Constable Benton Fraser from the TV series Due South. But his song is a masterpiece of country-folk. It captures Nicole's stubbornness, defiance and eventual surrender before the inevitability of death.

The chorus sums it up:

But I'm going to ride forever
You can't keep horsemen in a cage
Should the angels call, well it's only then
I might pull in the reins

You can watch the music video I created (using clips from Nicole's life and permission from Paul Gross) on YouTube.

John C.A. Manley

P.S. And for the most popular video clip from Nicole's memorial service, check out this video of our son playing You Raise Me Up on the piano. It has surpassed 800,000 views. (Which is surprising. Jonah says some things about the clot shots that should have gotten the video censored faster than the speed of science.)

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona, All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of philosophical fiction that are "so completely engaging that you find yourself alternately laughing, gasping, hanging on for dear life." Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber.