Greg has been gone for almost 10 months.
I was always told there is a calm before the storm, and there was.
We had been in such a terrific place. None of us knew that summer would be the last summer of Greg’s short life.
Greg loved to travel. This video was taken on a trip he and his wife, Suha, took to Cambodia before he came home for a summer visit.
I can almost picture them there, the bright Cambodian sun, the heat of the day, ancient temples standing quietly around them, and the two of them taking it all in. They would climb into a rickshaw and leave the heat behind, heading into the forest where the air was cooler. The trees gave them shade, and they could breathe in that fresh air. They drank fresh coconut water to stay hydrated, finding little ways to enjoy and take care of themselves along the way.
That was Greg. He loved learning about the places he traveled to before he went, then experiencing them for himself. And Suha was right there beside him, sharing it all.
Those two made memories, big ones and little ones. Maybe that is what I love most when I look back. It wasn’t just the big adventures. It was the coconut water, the rickshaw rides, the shade of the trees, the temples, the laughter, and all those little moments that became part of their story.
And then there is that green umbrella.
I was with Greg when he purchased it. At the time, it was just an umbrella. Nothing special. Greg wasn’t wasteful; he always found a purpose for things. He bought it for the rain, but in Cambodia he found another use for it: to shield himself from that hot, relentless sun.
Now I watch this video and that green umbrella stops me in my tracks. What I would give to hear Greg tell me about Cambodia again. What I would give to see him walking around with that green umbrella, figuring out where his next adventure was taking him.
None of us knew we were watching the last summer of Greg’s short life. We didn’t know these ordinary moments would become priceless. We thought there would be more trips, more stories, more summers, more adventures.
Sometimes it’s the smallest things that bring someone back to you: a video, a familiar gesture, a green umbrella.
I love you, Greg.
And Suha, I love you too. You’re my girl.
The two of you made memories all over the world, big and small, and I am so grateful I get to see little pieces of them again.
Copyright © Joy M. Mills 2026
MJM (TM)