Goodbyes

Today was the last day of the Colorado Suzuki Institute. The kids said goodbye to their teachers and friends.  We had the final recital.  Beethoven and Bartok. For the first time, saying goodbye, Mary didn't have a total breakdown and make herself sick crying.  She's getting bigger.

Some friends we will see next year, some friends I'll see in Texas next Spring.  Again, I'm so thankful for the Suzuki community of teachers, parents and students.  There was nothing but love, support and warm fuzzies in the air tonight.  One by one the skaters left the rink and drifted off to their hotel rooms. Mary and Bill closed the place down with the Zamboni and the rink lights turned off.

Then there are other more serious goodbyes.  This morning I learned that my friend Michele's dad died yesterday.  Suddenly at the age of 82.  He fell and there were complications.  Michele is my cropping friend, even though we aren't really scrap booking anymore. Her email address has the words "Mother of Prayer" in it. The whole time my dad was sick she wrote encouraging words to me and I knew I was always close to the top of her prayer list. Today, she was at the top of mine. You are never ready to lose your daddy.

Some goodbyes are the warm fuzzy kind and some just suck.
I know Michele will say that he is in a better place and I know she knows that she still has her Abba, her heavenly father.  She will have a stronger faith than me and if she's angry she won't let it show,  but as she said in her tender email this morning, it's still really sad.  I'm sorry my friend, I'm so sorry. I know you're going to miss him.

So, Mother of Prayer, tonight my prayer is for you, that your heavenly father will shower you, Emily and the rest of your family with peace and comfort.  May those angels surround and protect you as you celebrate the life of your father.