Careening Down

We went to a funeral last weekend. It was for a nearly 80-year-old man, the father of a close family friend. We mourned the loss and were saddened to say good bye but we also were able to celebrate his life.   He achieved his life’s goals and led a full life with a successful career, a loving wife, a devoted son & 2 precious, adorable grandchildren. At the end of the Mass, I witnessed a beautiful exchange between the man’s wife and a young mother who approached to pay her respects with her infant son in her arms. The baby had been a bit fidgety and antsy during the ceremony…but he burst into a huge grin when facing the grief-stricken widow. She too smiled in spite of her tears. She couldn’t help it- the baby’s joy was infectious. It was beautiful to see life intersect with death and realize this is God’ s plan. It is truly “The circle of life” as the Lion King movie calls it. Last night, my husband and his siblings met over zoom from various corners of the country to discuss ...

It's summer time!  An easy time to be thankful! Also a crazy time with no real routine and lots of excitement going on and a few meltdowns here and there. And life, life, life humming along with its ups and downs and gifts and blessings and challenges and struggles....  Here are my mid-June tomorrow is the official start of summer thankfuls.... Thankful for our beautiful trip to St. Louis to visit family and friends there- Beauty in Art- the Chihuly Exhibit at the Botanical Gardens We saw so many new animals there! An axolotl. Beauty in God's amazing creatures.   Beauty in the simple things- my kids catching lightning bugs for the 1st time ever. We don't get them where we live. Beauty in nature    Beauty in family time! Thankful for childhood summer joys-- Thankful for the amazing fun of church camps- for little ones and not quite so little ones-- Thankful for sports my kids enjoy-- So much more to appreciate in this world and in my life...but time is short and ...