A Day For Grieving And Celebrating

Walt And his Grandson, Luke

Today, we celebrate the life of my brother-in-law Walt, a loving husband to Ellen, father, to Julia and Brooks, and grandfather to Anna and Luke. Besides his love for family, Walt was an accomplished woodworker, avid runner (he ran a couple of marathons), and great friend, remembered for his smile, laugh, and sense of humor.  He will be missed. 

Yesterday was a different Sunday here in Virginia in some ways. It started as usual with my getting up at 6:00 and waiting for the rest to join me. Jill, Evie, and Halle were up by 9:00, however, to plan our day. Evie and I decided to drive to see my sister, Ellen, and her son Brooks, a forty-five-minute drive. We had not seen Ellen since Walt's death and wanted to have time to talk with them both before today's celebration of his life. We stayed for a couple of hours and had some laughs and tears before heading back to Jill's house. 

Daughters And Granddaughter

When we arrived, both Beth from Dallas and Tom and Mary from Kansas City had flown in for a couple of days. It was great that they wanted to attend the celebration today, a tribute to both Walt and Ellen. It was great to spend the afternoon with our kids,  talking, enjoying appetizers, and watching football, what else. We had not been together since July at Chautauqua. Jill had a bolognese sauce simmering in the crockpot so we did not have to worry much about dinner. At 4:00, Evie, Beth, Mary and Jill did a quick run to pick up some wine and goodies but were back in time to watch the Chiefs game. Both Jill and Tom and Mary are big Chief fans so it was not the most fun to watch them lose to Cincinnati. 

Disappointed Kansas City Chief Fans

After the game, we had a great dinner, Jill's bolognese sauce over pasta, along with a salad and French bread, with banana cream pie or brownies for dessert. We sat around tired and stuffed until 9:15 when we all decided to go to bed. Beth, Tom, and Mary had been up since 5:00 in order to catch their flights. 

New Think: "A heart that grieves is a heart that works."