Life is Hard... and Good

My kind of memories...

It's been a while since I've contributed to our blog. But I have a good reason and, although it may not seem like much of a topic for Lemonade Stand Sisters, I feel compelled to share.  And I promise, it will fit.
Two weeks ago yesterday, my sweet niece passed away.  I won't say we "lost" her because she isn't lost, we know right where she is.  Kayla left behind a broken hearted family including two beautiful daughters.  My heart still breaks when I think of her and even more so when I try to imagine the pain her husband and daughters are feeling.  And the hole left in the hearts of her Mom, Step Dad, sister and brothers.  It has been heart wrenching.  But there is good news.  Lemonade.

First, we are still standing.  Which is no small miracle.

Second, through all this, we found moments of happiness and joy.  A family that had been apart far too long gathered together.  And those who couldn't travel to Colorado, found their own ways to be there.  Denny, drowning in work, held down the fort at home so I could make the trip.  As did my brothers-in-law.  His brother Derek and his fiance' couldn't make it either.  But they supported us all with their love and they worked to make it so their Mom and I could fly which made the trip much easier on Colleen's broken neck.

We gathered and we laughed.  And cried.  We released 25 pink balloons for Kayla - one for each year she lived.  We made rainbow cupcakes because Kayla loved them.  (We made a mess in the process because that's how I roll).  We gathered for meals, enjoying Udon soup made by Kate.  We had quiet conversations and expressed words of love that are often left unspoken.  And we laughed.  It felt so good to laugh.  To remember happy times.  And create more happy memories even in hard times.
One of my favorite memories is pictured above.  About half the family hit the road Wednesday morning for the drive back to Utah.  Bret and Kate were waiting for their evening flight as were Colleen and I.  After a lovely bowl of Pho, we decided to "fill in the cracks" with frozen yogurt.  Because we're such nice people, we decided to each take a picture of our adventure and text it to those on the road.  Separately.  The first text was sent.  The reply: "Aw, miss your face!"  Then the next text.  And the next.   By the time the last text was sent the replies were not so sweet, something about breaking their hearts.  There may have been threats.  Then the promise of a do over in Utah.   Still makes me smile.

So here we are and another week has gone by.  And the tears still come, but the smiles are more frequent.  I feel so grateful for the new memories made.  There is truly an opportunity for Lemonade in everything.  And it felt so good to find it.

Releasing a balloon for her Mommy...