Four more are gone. Only two weeks ago, they were with us. They were nearing the end, yes, but they were still with us. But now, such times are only memory. Two others have only weeks left before they go as well. So much is changing. So many are passing.

Things are intensifying in these last days. We can no longer rely on the standard procedure to determine how long one has once the union begins its work. There is no set procedure anymore. The last two were gone within only a couple of months. I fear this is a precedent we won’t soon recover from. Anyone can be taken at any time, and it seems that all of our days are numbered.

There aren’t many of us left. I’ve found a few over the last one-hundred days, a few still resistant to the siren’s song, but I see the union’s influence drawing them to itself. Some are still strong, but others are breaking beneath the pressure. Those nearest me have begun to turn suddenly, and they call me to follow after them. But I cannot. I will not. My time has not yet come, and I dare not hasten it.

I still pray for those who have passed on, and I still search for others like me, others still free from the union’s ways. If anyone is reading this and is unchanged, find strength in knowing you are not alone.

Keep your hearts guarded. Keep your eyes up. Fight for the glory of the King.

– Joe Waller
Day 298 of the year of weddings