Sacred Light

Life asked Death, 'why do people love me, but hate you'? Death responded, 'Because you are a beautiful illusion, while I am a painful truth'! (May 8th, 2014, as my mother lay dying for four long, agonizing days, my dad and I shared many special moments with her before death finally came to claim her; allowing her last breath to be released. She left this world a little better for having been in it 84 wonderful years.)  I had the privilege of caring for my grandmother, father in law, mother, and father before they passed on. Death, like birth, comes on its own time frame, is messy, painful, agonizing at moments, and every ones experience is wonderfully unique.  My father worked at Thiokol for 26 years. He started working there as the Program Manager for the first stage of the Minuteman Missile System, eventually being made the Manager of Manufacturing Engineering. Later he was promoted to the head of Safety Engineering for all of Thiokol. He was ac...

Goodbyes are not forever, are not the end;  it simply means I'll miss you,  until we meet again.   It was Monday, April 28 th , 2014. I had picked up my nephew from the airport the previous night. We were meeting my sister (his mom), his dad, his step dad, and his brother at my parent’s house. They were coming to see our mom for the last time. We had a really nice day with all of us together. We listened to mom sing her favorite songs. She told us stories of her life. She still had a clear mind. She was in good spirits over all, even though she knew her time here in the physical body was almost up. For my sister and her family, this would be the last time they would see mom alive. At the end of the visit, one by one, each of them said their goodbyes to her. It was a really touching moment to witness. After they all left, I stayed as long as I possibly could before I had to go back to my family. It takes me two hours to drive to my home from thei...