I listened to the book, Carry the One, the other day, and while some of it was overwritten and a little long, the concept of carrying the one really resonated with me.  When I started the book, I thought that the title was from a song, one that kept itself on the edge of my brain.  Eventually I got to the explanation. The book was about a group of people who left a wedding and then the car in which they were riding hit and killed a young girl walking late at night. So, as one character says, whenever you count us all you have to carry the one.   It made me think of those that we carry, as a group, or individually.  My dad, how many people carry him?  Me and my mom, maybe his cousins on occasion.   My cousin Neil, who leaves a flag at his grave every Veteran's day. (kind of ironic, actually, as Dad was drafted, never really identified himself as part of the military, and for whatever reason, only very rarely spoke of his time in the military. And Neil has never been in the military.) But first I think that I thought of Mike Bloom and how many of us carry him. All those girls who remember Mike as their first love.  My daughter Maggie.  His parents and family.  So many friends. Will those numbers diminish over time?   The numbers won't, but the times that he is carried will. But then, someone will name a kid Mike and the carrying will continue on as the stories are told again. We all carry some people, I guess it is how we carry them that I am thinking about.  My Gramps died long before I had kids. She was the person who made me who I am. I tell my daughters about her, but have I told my other kids about her?  That they should honor her because without her there would have been no "house"?  Not harp on her, but mention her more.  And celebrate her every year on her birthday.  These ones that we carry have made us who we are, for better or for worse (and let's face it, some of it is worse and we need to remember, that, too).  So, in this times of darkness, remember who you carry.  I suspect that they still support us as we carry them.