A time to be born, and a time to die...

I feel utterly spent. Last night was the viewing. Today was the funeral.

It has been a time of tears. A time for embracing. And yes, a time for death.

I felt the very core of me roiling in turmoil; such a complex combination of sorrow, pain, grief, and the very, very, very finality of death itself.

And I cannot imagine the terrible weight of it that my father-in-law must feel. My own sorrow must be a mere drop in the sea of grief that is his to bear.The image of little Luc standing beside his mother's casket, his hands clasped behind his back, saying his good-bye to her is a sight I will never forget.

Today is a day for tears. Tomorrow we must live on. That perhaps, is going to be the most difficult of all. May God grant us the strength to live how we should, and the grace to do it well.

Goodbye, Karen.