Last night we received a phone call. You know – the one where the phone rings late and you know it is probably bad news. It was. It was my cousin telling us that my aunt had passed away. This is my dad’s sister. Of course there were tears before we made our way to bed. Today my dad spent the day going through his family pictures. Being a photographer, he had many wonderful pictures of his sister, family, and friends. He scanned and printed those that he thought his sister’s family would appreciate the most. Together he and my mom decided what year the photos were taken. I arranged them in a little book that will be sent to the family. Each picture had a story to go with it, and I loved hearing them all. Since the family is so spread out, I only saw my aunt a couple of times and each time the visits were years apart. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to get to know her very well. The pictures showed her as a little girl, probably no more than 2 years old. Then they followed her until high school age. Later in the day, her obituary was posted online. Of course the picture there was when she was in her 80’s. The day was somber, yet full of the appreciation of life. I go to bed tonight with a new respect of my own mortality.

I Found God today in remembering the beautiful life of my aunt.