My beloved father-in-law, Paul Rupff, recently passed away at the age of 86. We visited his gravesite in Locust Valley this week for the first time since his funeral and saw the new headstone with his name on it. It was hot and humid and a dry heat was swirling in the quiet place with thunderstorms looming overhead. A few stray raindrops cooled us a bit. We smiled as we watched a friendly and hungry little "hopper" scampering around the cemetery. After the cemetery, we drove by Dad's old house, the home my husband grew up in, and saw all the changes going on there... Of course, visiting will never be the same again, and I felt an overwhelming sadness wash over me as we walked through the grocery store where we used to take Dad shopping. In the Stop N' Shop parking lot we were surprised as we looked up and saw the brilliant sky (below). Thank you, Lord, for Your presence as we grieve.

The passages below were also taken from Happy Valentine's Day by Ellyn Sanna.