Dear Community,

We're approaching 3 years since our one and only Hnin had to leave us. It's hard to put in words the journey it's been. But I'm grateful to be gathering that day to remember Hnin together.

Hnin 3 Year Commemoration Picnic
Sat 4/26 I 12-2:30pm
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Hnin's Tree (40°39'49.9"N 73°58'16.4"W) - visible from the Picnic House

Please RSVP by 4/21 @ https://forms.gle/P82aX8hrXAo…

Khin and I will bring food, drinks, plates etc. But in the spirit of Hnin and sharing food, if there's something small you'd like to bring, potluck style, please feel free!

Other things you can bring:

- Blankets or chairs to sit on (we'll bring some too)
- Ornaments or messages to attach to the fencing around Hnin's tree.
- Anything that reminds you of Hnin that you want to 'show and tell' w others or put on temporary altar

Hnin's friend Rachel also has generously offered her apartment on Ocean Ave (right next to Prospect Park) as a rain location. By RSVPing, we can make sure to email you with rain plans if needed!

Love and mourning, aaron & Khin

To Hnin's Beloved Community

On April 26, to commemorate the 1 year anniversary of their passing, we were fortunate to dedicate a tree to Hnin in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. It's a young White Oak that can grow up to 100 ft tall and live for 500 years. We chose to dedicate a tree in Brooklyn because it was Hnin's hometown, where they grew up in Bensonhurst.

You can find their tree at these coordinates (40°39'49.9"N 73°58'16.4"W) or by following this google map link: https://goo.gl/maps/i3hmRCJ6D…

The tree is visible from the Picnic House and close to a walking path by the pond. You can attach messages or leave ornaments on the fencing around the tree. We hope that our extended community will find grounding, memories and comfort from this living reminder of their beauty, energy and many gifts.

With love, Aaron & Khin

dear beloved community,

today is 6 months since Hnin passed and i wanted to take the moment to send a note with some reflections.

for me, losing Hnin has been more painful and devastating than i could have ever imagined (even when knowing it would be the hardest thing i would ever face). i yearn for their life giving laughter, their independent POV, their joyful determination to seize the day, and the perfect comforts we created together.

today, Khin (Hnin's mom) and Koko (Hnin's friend) and i are in Armenia, visiting Hnin's oldest friend Mel. we're by a serene lake that Hnin visited on their last trip to Armenia. we built a small altar and mourned Hnin, a dear child, a soulmate, a best friend and chosen family.

in the first months, in my hysteria of loss, i had to learn how to breathe through the suffocating grief. Hnin's love and prescient poems gave me a guide for how to survive them.

on this 6 month anniversary - though every day is still a gauntlet - i've been able to harvest more treasures that Hnin left for me to uncover. how to face death
and it's inescapable power. how to honor and cherish grief as a force of love. how to be held by community. how to find some peace (and even joy) within the precious sadness that is now part of me.

i feel like i'm reconstructing myself from the rubble- but hope that the person i'm becoming honors the love that Hnin poured into me and the steadfast care that we both received from all of you.

the heartfelt messages, the meal deliveries, and the remembrances on Hnin & Khin's socials have all been salves for our souls. we've also raised close to $30k for Hnin's Die Living Fund, which will allow us to share Hnin's legacy of care with other activists who are facing terminal illness.

for those who knew Hnin, my biggest wish is that we find ways to remember them, and in so doing, find more courage to become our truest selves.

next spring, to commemorate Hnin's 1 year, we plan to dedicate a tree and bench in their memory in Prospect Park, Brooklyn (their home town). i will share details next year as they are confirmed.

as i slowly find my way back to work and pace my social reintegration, please know that i'm grateful for your care. and i hope, in time, to be able to reflect back to you the light you've given us.

always, aaron