MISSION COMPLETED...365 CONSECUTIVE DAYS
July 26, 2010- July 26, 2011. RECAP Column.

I could hear the crowd on the beach. They were loud. My son who had paddled out with me was yelling over the cheering. "Don't pearl dad!! Remember 10 years ago, you pearled and almost fell!" I looked at him and shook my head. "Don't say that! What's the matter with you?" "I'm just saying it so you don't do it again...I don't want to see you fall in front of all these people..."

I looked back at the crowd. It was clearly bigger than the crowd 10 years ago.

And I certainly didn't want to fall either. But damn Mackey, are you trying to psych me out? I cleared my head of any falling, pearling, and any other kook move. I wanted this to be as close to text book as possible. It was after all, the pinnacle of my journey. My quest. My yearlong fundraiser had come down to this final moment.

There was no way I wanted to fail. I looked over at Max who was smiling at me.

I let a few waves go by, and then I spotted my wave. It looked to be about 2-3 foot. It was a Right. I wanted a right. I started on a right a year ago. I started and ended on a right 10 years ago. It was all coming together. I swung Big Black around and stroked deep. I heard the crowd get louder. The Hawaiian Lei's had bunched up under my chest creating a slight drag in my paddle. But I was determined.

I paddled hard. Like I had for the last 365 days...my paddling power was solid.

One hour before this moment was suspect at best. Every single forecast had thunder and lightening and 85% chance of rain. The wind was wailing, the skies were dark, it had all the makings of a potential disaster. When I pulled up at 10th Street at 5PM, there were 4 Kite Boarders out. That's how windy it was. The wind was wailing, and so were the Kite Surfers. I felt sick to my stomach.

You can't count on the weather anywhere on this planet, but especially here in New England. It's such a crap shoot. From day to day. The forecasts were dire. And honestly? It looked bad. I'm thinking no parent would let their child out with skies like this. I was slowly envisioning this last day falling apart. I stood there looking at the surf and kite surfers, and feeling that stiff wind in my face.

The only saving grace was...there was surf.

I said out loud to no one in particular..."There's small waves...we can surf those."

That's when I heard it. A voice from my past. At first it didn't register. "There better be waves, I came 3,000 miles to see you surf them!" I turned and there standing next to me was my longtime close friend, Beth Harrington. "Oh My God! Oh My God!! Beth? Are you kidding me? Beth???" I embraced her with the biggest bear hug I've given anyone in quite sometime. The wind and clouds were not my focus anymore. There was my good friend, Beth Harrington, who had traveled from Oregon to witness this last wave...I was both stunned and happy.

I kept looking at her and shaking my head, and then hugging her again. I love Beth.

She has a distinctive laugh and it just filled the air. And there was no one there to share this with. It was an hour before the designated time. It was just Beth and I,
and a couple of my Veteran buddies, who always show up early. Because you
never know when you might need their help. But no one that we could share this reconnection with. That changed slowly but surely, as the the people started to
show up in droves.

The Rowlees came first. Buck, Meighan, and Kieran Followed by my own family.
My wife Cory, Gabby, Mackey, and Noelle. All present and accounted for SIR!

But something else was happening as well. And it was happening as the crowd grew. The clouds were suddenly gone. The wind had died down. Then the sun popped out. Oh and the water? Yea well, it was almost tropical. NO suits were needed. It went from 85% chance of disaster, to 100% perfect. How? Why?

Well, be serious. If you have been following this journey all year, you would know
why. Because the LOVE in this community is over the top. The good positive vibes that I have felt all year, was reaching a crescendo. That love was spilling out
all over the beach and beyond. The power of love, and the power of the Internet, is a marriage that helped bring us all together.

The crowd swelled to about 300 plus people. And there were so many smiles and laughter, that it was hard for even the most grumpiest Grinch not to feel the love.
The small children and the parents. The friends and relatives of Molly, all smiling
and laughing. The sun shining through, as the dark clouds parted, and went north
and south. It was like we were standing in our own private oasis.

One of the reporters asked me if I felt Molly's presence.

I pointed out the obvious. The sun, the blue skies, the calm but surfable waves, the hundreds of people laughing and smiling. Molly's friends and family all here together celebrating. "Here's your answer...besides, I've always felt her presence."

And those of you who know the inside stories, also know that there is proof of that as well. The "Photo" will always be proof of that. And now it has become part of our culture. A local surfer Mike Sidebottom has created a graphic and it is now stenciled on the Wall. It was there that night. On both sides of the stairs. Two pillars holding all the love together. It was magical.

It would be impossible to name the people who were there. Because I will have inadvertently left some out, and I wouldn't want to do that. But suffice it to say...almost everyone from the community and beyond, were there.

The surf shops. Cinnamon Rainbows with Dave Cropper and company have been such a major factor all year. Stevie O'Hara at Pioneers with that killer winter suit and *also- Stevie was my designated stand in. Just in case anything happened to me. I almost needed you Stevie in May. Mike Paugh at Zapstix helped me out with that nice Spring suit, and Ryan at Summer sessions came through with the summer
vest at the end of my tour.

They were all such a huge help to me this year. They all gave me what I needed all year. They kept me both warm and dry this past year. And really, how about that winter? Damn. I need to thank Sashi at 5 Star Surfboards for making me my special board. BIG BLACK. And Mike Stanek for fixing the three dings. Three HUGE dings.

All my photographer friends. John Carden. Brian Nevins. Johnny Grasso. Chris Shipley. Hannah Vokey. Ben Ginsberg. Bernie Baker. Michael Sander, Ryan Denning and all the others. And my two main guys. Joe Carter who shot and made two amazing video clips...one of which I'm posting here this week. And my good friend Ed O'Connell. Ed followed me around all winter. Always asking me "where and when" I would be surfing each day. I love them all.

But this was a fund raiser. And every single person who donated to this undertaking are the real heroes. In this hard economic climate, for you to give us anything at all, meant so much to me, the Rowlees, and all the families of children who have cancer. We never set out to find a cure for cancer. But we knew we could help some families get through this emotional and financial burden. So thank you all who helped us. I won't ever forget you and your generous donations.

There are several names on my board. My Mother Eva. She loved us all no matter what we became, or did. Her love and affection was truly from the heart. Her strength and determination helped mold me into the man that I've become. And I
will miss you until my last day on this earth.

My friend Joe, who was instrumental in helping me cope with so many of life's challenges. You were like a brother to me. I know that someday we will meet up again. We have so much to catch up on. Not to mention going surfing together again. Linda, who was taken from us way before her time. Your voice and laugh is still fresh in my mind. To all of those I have known, and who have left us because of this disease. There are too many to name.

I surfed for each and every one of you as well. I know you all know that.

My wife and kids have been great this past year. This is not the first time we did this, so they were such incredible forces of strength and love all year. But to my
wife of almost 24 years...I love you Cory as deep as the ocean depths. And I love
all of our children. Gabby, Max, and Noelle. You are the light and fire of my life.

And I will always be there for you all. I promise.

The Rowlees. Buck is, and will always be, the most positive and giving person I will ever meet in my life. He is a super human being who is both a wonderful husband and a cool dad. I could not have done this without Buck's positive energy. We will remain friends forever. Meighan is so beautiful and stoic. Thank you for putting up with all the media, the never ending finances, and the day to day grind of having to hear about my daily exploits. And Kieran? You are one special child. You bring so much joy and love to your family and friends, that I'm sure you know something that we don't know. And it has something to do with your sister Molly.

And Molly...how many conversations have we had over the last 365 days? I know I had you laughing on a few of those days. Thank you for giving me the strength and love to make this happen. Thank you for that incredible visit back in May. Thank you for pulling this whole community together with your simple power of love and laughter. If only the rest of the world could know that simple power. LOVE.

But I will always have a special place in my heart for you. Always.

And to all my friends and family. I love you all. There are too many to name. But you
all know who you are. I love you and respect you all. I could NOT have done this without you. From my friends and family here on the seacoast, to my friends and family on the Internet. That reminds me, I need to send the inventor of Facebook a thank you card. What's his name Zuckerberg? Mark Zuckerberg?

Thanks Mark. I think that facebook thing is gonna fly. You were a big help.

But seriously, the communication between us all has been tremendous. The weekly blog and the daily blog has brought so many of us together. I was becoming more and more transparent with each passing week. It became not so much a daily surf journal, as it did a daily page right out of my life. There were no filters in my writing. There should of been a grammar and spell check from time to time, but there were no holding back any punches with me. I gave it to you day in and day out, as it happened. Both guns a blazing. And I think that's what you wanted.

You didn't want any BS. You wanted the straight scoop. And I gave it to you.

And in my unprepared speech, that I gave on the beach on Tuesday, I said that this whole year has been about 3 things. And it has been. It's about SURFING.
It's About COMMUNITY. And more importantly, it's about LOVE.

We are standing in a SEA OF LOVE.

And so in getting back to my final wave...I felt BIG BLACK pick up the wave like I have so many hundreds of times before. I pushed up like I have a thousand times this past year. I got to my feet, and instinctively saluted, and the crowd roared. I
rode the wave about 30 yards, and raised both my hands in a triumphant salute,
and then stepped off into the shallow water, as everyone paddled out.

Then we all shared waves for about an hour.

I caught that first wave for Molly. The second wave for my mother. My third wave for Joe, the fourth wave for Linda Paugh, and my last wave was for my sister Evamarie. And later, after kissing and hugging so many friends and family on the beach, I
went down to 18th Street where Molly's name is written in surf wax. I said hello and goodbye for the last time in this setting. I drove home and felt both peaceful and sad. This quiet ending, to this long journey, was over.

People have asked me what will I do the next day? Well, there was surf. It was waist to chest high on July 27, 2011. I did what any surfer I know would do. I went surfing.

I truly love you all. I'll be back week after week writing this blog. My subjects will be about...SURFING, COMMUNITY, and LOVE. (And a few other items...hey I can't help myself...after all...I'm still Ralph!)

"Surfing Heals All Wounds..."