Three birthdays, one wedding and a funeral.

So it has been for our family since July 3, just three weeks ago. Joy brought us together that day for the marriage of my nephew and 'new niece.' My mom's birthday followed but, by July 16, we gathered again to remember my Great Aunt Jane, who died on the 89th anniversary of her own arrival in this world. Her death leaves a lone great aunt, the last of nine siblings whose childhood years spanned the early 1900s. Especially for Aunt Keak, the grief runs deep.

In all of this, I've been reminded of how life pushes on, despite our own attempts to slow it down, speed it up or manipulate its course. As I was putting the finishing touches on Aunt Jane's obituary for the newspaper, I was stringing balloons together for my young daughter's birthday party. What a lesson in both the newness and waning days of life ... and a reminder of all of the ordinary and extraordinary that fall in between. 

My new 10-year-old never tires of emphasizing the importance of family in our lives. And she's been doing it a lot lately. I think she's onto something.