grief and gratitude


Mom...headed off to college in 1948


Mom and Dad in 1949

I'm familiar with the various stages of grief you supposedly go through......but that seems like such a clinical way to describe the emotional upheaval that takes place when someone you love dies. It's a surreal experience.... Very foggy.

I'm sitting here in the kitchen of the house that my mom and dad built... on Platte Lake in a gorgeous area of Northern Michigan... I'm trying to compose some sort of memorial to my mom, a handout of sorts to be available at her "celebration of life" party on the 17th... a challenging task.

I keep crying because of the loss I feel.... then laugh and smile at the memories as I sort through photos and memorabilia. What a roller coaster of emotion...

But the prevailing feeling I'm having is gratitude. A profound sense of gratitude, for having the parents that I had.

I'm a lucky lucky girl.