Thanks for all the comments and kudos for my last blog. One of my dear friends from back home commented that I don't blog enough. Well, Grace and I are preparing to leave this coming Tuesday to travel to Regionals. Since, the last tournament I have done follow up and Grace has just bared down on preparing for the next step. It is similar to advancing to the playoffs in sports. You gear up and work harder.
On a more somber note, I took Michael to his first wake. He has been to funerals. This was a wake for his friend Anthony's 4 year old brother, Mikey. Little Mikey was killed in a car accident. He was playing in the street. Mikey was the youngest of 4 children. It was heartbreaking and hard to go, but Dan and I knew it was the right thing to do. Anthony was very grateful that we came....not that he said so in so many words but his little face lit up when he saw us and he knew we cared enough to come. At the last minute Michael didn't want to go and I told him that it never gets easier but we need to not think about ourselves but about Anthony and his family. They need us to be there and be a comforting presence. And of course, after I left the funeral home where a little life has come to a premature end, I held Michael's hand a little tighter, and couldn't help but think of my own children and how precious they are to me. Death is a part of life.