So now you know why I haven't posted

As you can see by the obituaries, it's been a really terrible time for both sides of our family. But in a way, the Lord was merciful to both Aunt Rita and Mark's dad to take them both, once their health had failed terribly. Aunt Rita was in the final stages of pancreatic cancer, where pain was beginning to appear, and Mark's dad had suffered a series of debilitating strokes in the past month, the last of which left him barely conscious. So I understand that having them with us longer would have been a case of extending suffering, and of course we wouldn't want that. I'm just sad that their respective illnesses happened at all. and it's unfortunate that we lost them within days of one another. What a week. Aunt Rita and my friend JR's dad passed away within three hours of one another. Then, on Tuesday morning, I was at his dad's funeral in Allentown and a few minutes before the 10:30 service was about to start, my phone (in silent mode) vibrated. The caller ID said Mark's name. Knowing that Mark was aware that I was AT a funeral, the fact that he called me anyway instead of waiting didn't bode well at all. I was right. He was letting me know that his dad had passed at about 9 AM. So Aunt Rita, Mr. R., and Mark's dad all passed within three days of one another. I'm starting to wonder if that old wives' tale about deaths happening in 3s has some merit. Fortunately, that same tale also tells us that BIRTHS come in 3s. And that is also the case. My nephew's wife had a baby girl in about the 3rd week of July, and at the very end of July, my niece had twins, a boy and a girl. Thank God for the new life in our family. It will help us focus on the OTHER end of the circle of life, its beginning. But right now, we are dealing with our losses, as best we can.