It's amazing what

you can accomplish when you "get up and at um" early.  I woke at 6:15 (an automatic response to the 5 weeks that I had to), went on a walk, and weeded the garden.  And here it is only 8:28 am.  I doubt I'll make a habit of that, but it does feel good. 

I'm also feeling sadness in my heart this morning.  Last night we heard that Fred, who is married to my cousin Maisel, is close to dying.  When we heard, we went down the street to visit them.  Maisel was there with her daughter, Allie, from Idaho.  We saw Fred for a moment, and though he couldn't communicate with us, he knew we were there and was trying to talk.  Fred is such a dear man.  He has always been very interested in the family and loved Mom and Dad.  He once gave me a family picture of Dad's family where it showed just the top of a little head in the front of the picture.  He wondered if I had one of those pictures where the head wasn't cut off, because he knew it had to be Dad.  Dad was the youngest of nine and was the only one not shown in the picture. 

We always know that dying is a part of life, but I don't think we ever really think about the reality of it.  I'm glad that I know that while the body may die, that the spirit doesn't.  Once Fred passes on, I can imagine the reunion he will have with his daughter, Trish, who died in her sleep one night while in her twenties.   She was expecting her first child, and they never knew why she died.  That has been a source of heartache for them for many years.  

Life is a wonderful gift, but there are many difficult times throughout it.