The past week has been one of heartbreak and deep sadness but full of laughs and love.  My dear father-in-law passed away suddenly, somewhat unexpected Saturday morning at his home.  The events of that day are etched in my mind but are also hard to recall.  It was one of those days that you couldn't plan for or predict - he just  passed away.  There was no warning, no call for help, no great suffering -  he just passed away.  Yes, he had been sick for a long time with emphysema and he had been in and out of the hospital over the past few months but still  - he just passed away.  The past week has been hard.  Things had to be done and some things had to be said that were tough.  Lot of tears have been shed but I believe there have been more laughs.  Good memories and love outweigh the pain.

One more thought before I go.  Sometimes all it takes is a kind word from someone we don't really know to get us back to where we need to be.  With that said, I want to say thank you to Diane W.  You were the inspiration I needed to do this today and I thank you.