Easter and After

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. I hope you did, too.

David arrived home on Thursday evening, in time for dinner. On Friday, we had the privilege of hosting Dr. Michael Jensen and his lovely wife for dinner here, with our neighbors. Our neighbor (the husband) is an immunologist, and his wife is a cancer survivor. It was a fun and lively evening, and I am so thankful that we were able to break bread together.

David wanted to go to the beach for a hike, so on Saturday (the one warm day we've had this spring), we took a drive to a favorite beach, and set out for about 6 miles with a picnic lunch.

On Sunday, we took my parents with us to my brother and sister-in-law's home for brunch. It was great to be together for a family feast.

David returned to school on Monday, and we hosted Gregg's parents for dinner that night. Since then, I have been writing and editing all week, and yesterday, I FINISHED MY ROUGH DRAFT of the Family-Centered Care transcript - 83+ pages! Now, I have to edit the draft, pick out the most important themes, and add photographs. Phew! I feel as if I've given birth - but not exactly like that, because there is so much more to do. However, I need to enjoy and celebrate this little milestone in the present moment.

THIS article tells about the dear nurse who died by suicide. I have decided that, since I brought the topic up here, I will share what I have learned since. The article, and more background, were posted by THIS blogger, who is new to me. She did a good job of reporting what she knew. I believe that those who appreciate and support the doctors and nurses who do their best to care for others on a daily basis may find it interesting. Having said that, I need to add that I love our doctors and nurses, and I love Seattle Children's Hospital; I am not passing judgment. I am grieving the course of events, beginning with the death of precious Kaia, that has led to another family's bereavement.

May this season of Easter, and the hope that it offers, bless you. As Father Rohr says,

"The defining pattern for the entire universe is death and resurrection, loss and renewal. There are no exceptions. This pre-announcement is good news for us, if we can hear it...Gospel confirms the redemptive pattern that is transforming all things, and keeps the entire circle of life circling. Nothing will be left to finally and forever die. Now we can trust what seems like a free fall into absurdity.

"We are all living and dying in the same universal pattern, and we need not be shocked, surprised, or waste time trying to change or deny the dying of all things...Stephen Levine said that our fear of death comes from 'our imagined loss of our imagined individuality.' Both imaginings are untrue. There is no loss, only a return to the deepest Ground of our Being. What feels like a free fall is in fact a leap into the one and only Life." - Adapted from Great Themes of St. Paul: Life as Participation

Thank God for the hope of our eventual return to that "deepest Ground of our Being," which I believe to be LOVE.