Grateful
Blessed Invitation
Quite a while ago, my son was able to purchase tickets for the Olympics. He and his fiancee left for their big trip a couple days ago. They decided to spend some time in Rome before heading over to Paris for their ticketed events. I knew they were planning on going to Mass at the […]
Thoughtful Docs
The other day I sent messages to a couple of my mom’s doctors to let them know she had passed away. Yesterday her most recent primary care doctor called me to offer her condolences and check to see how I was doing. Today we received a hand written note from the cardiologist who cared for […]
Sharing a New Road
Today I met a friend for lunch. Her husband had Parkinson’s disease and passed away not quite a year ago. For several years, we walked the caregiving road together. While our experiences were different, we understood the struggles of caring for a loved one to the end. Now, I guess we’re traveling the grief journey […]
Family Fun
I was so grateful for this day. As usual, my Sunday morning started with Mass. I planned on meeting my son and his wife there. I spotted them when I arrived and was surprised to see my other son and fiancee there as well. It was a blessing to pray with them all together and […]
Familiar Words
A few months ago, my mom’s friend’s son-in-law died. I had scheduled a Mass to be offered for his soul. It was today. I met our friend there and we prayed together. I recognized the Gospel reading: Mt 11:28-30Jesus said:“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. […]
Daughters In Law
I am grateful to have two amazing young women as part of the family. One is my older son’s wife of almost twenty-two years. The other is technically not yet a family member, but she will be marrying my younger son next year. The three of us had breakfast together this morning. During our conversations, […]
The Engagement
My son met an amazing young woman 2 1/2 years ago. From the beginning she has been a blessing in our lives. Once she became a licensed massage therapist, she came over every week to give my mom a soothing hand massage. Even when my mom wasn’t up to it, she would just come over […]
A Good Day
Adding on to the previous post. We spent the day yesterday reminiscing and remembering my mom. We worked on her obituary and a slideshow of her life. We went through hundreds of photos and listened to the recordings of her piano playing. While it was sad, it was also joyful as we realized what a […]
Family Time
My nephew arrived from out of town last night. He stayed with my son last night so they were able to have some time together before my son leaves for the weekend. My other son and his family returned yesterday from their time away on the East Coast. Tonight we all had dinner together. It […]
Graceful
Yesterday as we talked with nurses and caregivers about my mother, my brother used the word “graceful” to describe her. When I sat with her this morning, her items on the nightstand caught my eye. They included her reading glasses, her St. Padre Pio prayer book, and a prayer card with her name on it. […]
Still Finding God 