R.I.P. Ray
As some of you know we lost a family member unexpectedly before Christmas so, after the initial shock of it all, the weekend was a time of reflection more so than in previous years, at least for me. Perspective shifts, and priorities understandably change. On my side, the family gathered as planned, and Beanie's belief in the magic of Christmas continued in spite of her sadness. Christmas Day was actually really nice, with gifts and laughter and yummy things to eat (like lasagna!). It was good to think of happier things and to enjoy each others company, though we were all fairly exhausted come Sunday evening. Down in CT the time for reflection will come later, I guess, once the shock wears off and things sink in. It will be one week tomorrow, and who knows what new sadness or new happiness tomorrow will bring? I'm hoping there will be a sense of peace for everyone tomorrow, but it's probably too soon for anything like that for them. I hope, if nothing else, warm thoughts and happy memories will shower down on them in CT throughout the day.
The service for my brother-in-law's dad is this afternoon so I thought I'd share his obituary, a small snippet of his life. It's strange in a way how it all gets summarized. To me, Ray LaPierre was a warm, loving man who made you feel welcome as soon as you met him. In fact, I liked him from the moment I met him and felt comfortable with him from the get go. Usually it takes awhile for me to relax enough to really smile or to speak more than a few words when first meeting someone; there's effort and focus involved to do so (other shy introverts know what I'm talking about), but Ray had a way of putting everyone around him at ease, without even trying, just by being himself. He had a great sense of humor and could always make me laugh. I have a feeling he'd like to be remembered with funny stories about camping and various (mis)adventures and tales about his fishing expeditions. Beanie will probably get to hear a few stories she hasn't heard before, and I hope they make her smile.
The service for my brother-in-law's dad is this afternoon so I thought I'd share his obituary, a small snippet of his life. It's strange in a way how it all gets summarized. To me, Ray LaPierre was a warm, loving man who made you feel welcome as soon as you met him. In fact, I liked him from the moment I met him and felt comfortable with him from the get go. Usually it takes awhile for me to relax enough to really smile or to speak more than a few words when first meeting someone; there's effort and focus involved to do so (other shy introverts know what I'm talking about), but Ray had a way of putting everyone around him at ease, without even trying, just by being himself. He had a great sense of humor and could always make me laugh. I have a feeling he'd like to be remembered with funny stories about camping and various (mis)adventures and tales about his fishing expeditions. Beanie will probably get to hear a few stories she hasn't heard before, and I hope they make her smile.