Celebration of Life

 

So grateful I got a chance to go to Ron's service yesterday. As Tracey and I were texting yesterday, she captured it so well, "How can your heart be breaking and overflowing all at the same time?!" 

Danny's tribute (among many others in the service) for Ron 

https://youtu.be/l6_ThtJzUW8?si=Jl-mblX9LEyj4i6-

Summer 1993 

Jenny ("Charlie") at camp in 1992

and below at the open house after the service yesterday 

Catherine Wade (Far Left) in summer of 1993 and below at a gathering last night at one of Ron's favorite breweries in town 

Daren, Juan, and Danny 

in front of Ron's house 

a blessing after a loss

God, we are heartbroken in the face of so much grief.

What could we possibly call blessed?

Could we try?

Blessed are we who allow ourselves to feel it—
the impossibility
of what was possible a second ago—
the light decision, the casual stroll,
the easy exchange and ordinary duty,
a decent choice or a nothing one,
the sweep of hours on a day that was like any other.

until it wasn’t.

This is the place where nothing makes sense.
This is the place where tears show up without permission.

Blessed are we who allow our hearts to break,
for it will be some time

for brittle unreality to release us
Back into the land of the living.

We have seen and lost what we never should have.

Blessed are we even in the moments
when we are convinced,
absolutely sure,
that there is nothing untouched
by the ashes of loss.

God, you are an architect
and everything I have is in ruins.
Promise me that someday
something will stand
after so much fell.

-Kate Bowler