Remembering

This morning's bulletin included the "Mass Request Form" so, since DH and I split Masses (sick little people) I had the chance to fill it out and turn it in on the same day. Score! With 10,000 people at a parish, you need to get in early to get your space.

This year, instead of just our usual July 26th request for the deceased members of both families I made a second request. August 20th, Bernadette Rocco. Yes, we named her Bernadette. It just seemed like the right thing, given the date and even better, the kids reminded me that we now have our "B" name to round out the first four letters of the alphabet. If we ever had "E" and "F" we could go all the way to "G"...never getting to "S" though. She is on her own ;0)

So, next year, we will gather and remember our little one. It will be good for us to be together and remember our trip - good and bad - and pray for our newest family member. It seems like the right thing to make it a public event so that our friends who prayed us through the trial can gather as well.

After that, we will remember in our hearts and maybe light a candle but mainly, that memory will be at rest. The little person we never got to know will be waiting until that day, God willing, that we see her again in another place. That is enough for me.

Tomorrow is my dad's birthday. This is another story altogether, as I believe it should be. Knowing someone for a few months is totally different than knowing them daily for 18 years and fairly often for 11 after that. My dad is not so easy to forget and for that I am thankful. He is in my heart but he is also in my children. That gives me the peace of knowing he is with me still. How blessed we are.

So, we will carve out time this week to tell the kids about their grandpa and to visit the cemetery to say "hello". It was so painful for so long. It's good to move past that and start remembering all the times before...the times when we were a family.

Happy Birthday, Dad. Hug that little girl for me ;0)