With Hurricane Ian behind us, it was time to embark on another adventure.   I left Tampa for Fayetteville, NC one day later than expected due to weather conditions.  It was good to see my friend, Camille.  Her hospitality is top notch and immediately I felt at home.  Our first stop was Saturday evening Mass at Good Shepherd Catholic Church.  This was my parish for 23 years.  So much happened during my time at Good Shepherd.  This community of believers supported me and my family through the death of both my youngest son and my husband.  It was difficult to relocate, leaving this beautiful group of friends, but I knew I needed to continue with God in moving forward where He would have me be.

After Mass, several of us met at a local restaurant to catch up on our lives and reconnect.  We did the same on Sunday afternoon with another group from Good Shepherd.  It is amazing how friendship allows us to pick up where we left off as if we were never separated by time. 

One of the main reasons for coming to Fayetteville was to visit the cemeteries where my youngest son and husband are buried.  As I stood over my husband’s grave site at Sandhills Veterans Cemetery, I prayed, I cried, and then I sat on the bench that is near the site.  For the first time in five years, I thought of our wedding song. 

It was always a special time whenever John and I heard our wedding song on the radio. If we weren’t together, we always called each other so the other could hear the song. After John’s death, it was too painful to hear our song, and I did everything I could to avoid it.

I always have an itinerary when I travel, however, life always seems to trudge along despite my plans.

As I traveled from Fayetteville, NC to Moab, UT, I thought of my friend who battled pancreatic cancer for over a year.  It was during this trip that I was told of her passing.  I used to consider 80 and 90 the age when death would come.  But more and more I am learning that people in their 50s and 60s pass from this life to the next.  A flood of emotion takes over when these words are spoken to us for those we love.  My heart aches for my friend and her family.  At the same time, I feel peace knowing that she is with the Lord where there is no more pain or suffering. 

I am proud of my friend who fought valiantly for the sake of her husband.  I know my husband did the same for me.  May they both rest in peace and may all of us continue to push through grief knowing that our loved ones continue with us in a unique way.  There is only a thin veil separating us from those who have passed from this world.  It is comforting to know this truth. 

I do not know my friend’s wedding song, but I know she was married around the same time as John and me.  In honor of the love we shared with each of our spouses, I know my friend would smile at this song.  So, here’s Billy Joel to remind us of the LOVE and JOY and HAPPINESS we shared with the special one that God has chosen for each of us! ENJOY - and let me know in the comments below the name of your wedding song!

God Bless and Remember - Sharing is Caring!