Feast for Eyes

Somebody is having a great time designing Trader Joe's product packages. In fact, when my cousin Natalie visited this month and saw my dark chocolate bar, we laughed together because she bought the same bar for the same reason I did - the box.

If you have no Trader Joe's in your area, it might be a good idea to move near me, so we can drink coffee and eat their food together.

Loss, Gain, Gain

There's nothing like a funeral for getting people together, and allowing us to abandon our self-defensive reserve, and making it OK to say stuff that would sound dumb at any other time, even if it's just a joke to make someone laugh.

This all wouldn't warm the heart if we didn't have hope, and not the bumper-sticker kind. My grandparents both announced ahead of time that they were ready to go, but recently, many people dear to me have suffered sudden, shattering loss and we can hang on these moments with people like strings and ribbons and ropes.

Following are several shots that wouldn't have been taken had not everyone converged to remember the Taylors.

Grandma is Home

This morning my grandma, Yvonne Taylor, went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She joined my grandpa only 73 days after he died. Grandma loved songs, and this was one she sang often:

I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free.
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me.