The Post I Couldn't Write...
I've had something in my heart since the beginning of December (Dec 3rd to be specific), but I couldn't share my thoughts. At least not until Christmas was over. So here, with tears, I share with you sad news (that if you're local you may already know), Ray Beesley passed away. You may not know the name. You shouldn't know the name. The name was not important. But the man was. He owned Beesley Event Photo. It was a family affair and as I found out after he died, that it was his daughter who took the photos. Ray wasn't behind the camera, he was in front of it. He was in countless holiday photos for decades. But it wasn't Ray in those photos, it was Santa Claus. Let me reiterate this; Ray did not "play" Santa Claus; he WAS Santa Claus. And it didn't matter if he was in his suit or grocery shopping (as I once saw him at our local Shoprite), he WAS Santa. He wasn't about the photo or the list of gifts. He was about listenin