This has been a difficult week, personally and publicly, and I for one cannot wait for tomorrow morning. I get off work at 7 a.m., will sleep for a few hours, then spend time mowing the lawn, listening to something uplifting - maybe the Sea Symphony or perhaps Ancient Echoes by the San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble (SAVAE) - and read. In the course of 9 days, we have gone from a quick recap of winter (snow and ice and very cold) to sunshine and temps in the 70s. The windows are open, the heat's off, and the sounds of spring - from birds to weed-whackers - flow through our house.
I can't help but think, though, that there are 32 young people who will never know the coming of spring. There are 32 families who will not have their child figuring out how to balance work and play this summer. There is a family here in NoIl that will not see their son graduate from HS, go to the prom, dance with his wife on his wedding day, or see his team (Da Bears) maybe actually win a Super Bowl*. I know I should move beyond this, but this has been, as I said, a hard week.
On a non-political, non-religious, totally self-indulgent and hopeful note, I want to know what your plans are for this weekend. Drinking? A quick trip to see something beautiful? Time with family? A baseball game? A reunion with old friends or family? I think we need to celebrate life a bit right now, and be thankful.
*The young man who passed away was a huge Bears fan. A neighbor of ours is also a Bears fan, having his pick-up customized with a team logo. My wife asked if she could use his truck to transport the casket across the street from the church to the cemetery where he would be buried, in his "34" jersey. Not only did the man agree, but he gave my wife one of his copies of a special Walter Peyton magazine that came out after Sweetness died. The edition is limited and valuable, and went in to the casket and the ground with this young Bears fan. Is it any wonder why I love her so? She knows just the right touch, and brings out the best in everyone she encounters.
