What it all boils down to...

...is family.

I spent part of my day yesterday at a place I never like to be. The hospital. Just walking into it and being overwhelmed with the smells and the people and the mock sterility makes me uneasy. But I was there to see my dad who was having surgery and not even the bad memories I have of that place could keep me away. There is something about seeing your father so vulnerable and in so much pain with tubes and monitors and IVs and pending surgery with its myriad of unknowns that begins to change how you think about life and what really matters. Prayers become more real. Life becomes more fragile. Family becomes more important.

And then my mind went in a thousand different directions all at once.

I thought of my tiny little Elisabeth and Jimmy's mother whom I never met. Their bodies are buried next to each other in a cemetery I haven't been able to go back to since I left my baby there. I thought of the emptiness of losing a part of me that I didn't get to know long enough . I thought of the sadness of my children and I never meeting their Grandma Faye--someone who is so connected to and part of our family. But then I thought of something else.

Easter.

The greatest event in the history of the world with its accompanying significance changes everything. Death is replaced with life again. Sadness is changed to hope. Emptiness is filled with love. Families are forever.

Dad's surgery went well and he is on his way to recovery. Miracles occured. Prayers were answered. Faith was increased.

Truly, it is a Happy Easter.