births and deaths

I know it has been a long time since I've written. I have received some flack for it again...but those who give me a hard time need to get a life a remember that this is for fun to share my thoughts, reflections and life...when I have TIME to do so.

It has been a rollercoaster few weeks. My mom called this afternoon - both by the time of day, and by the fact that I had just talked to her the day before, I knew something was wrong. She called to tell me that her younger brother, my Uncle Randy, passed away sometime during the day on Monday, December 11. At first, I was shocked, then sad, and feel myself moving back and forth between sadness and disbelief. The biggest sadness is not having said goodbye, nor having the closure of being at the funeral tomorrow. We didn't have much contact, but Uncle Randy was always a very kind-hearted person to me. He always spoke well of my parents and with great respect, too, for Auntie Val. He had a tough life, and was compassionate to others whose life was challenging. I have a memory of Uncle Randy sitting on the couch at my house the day after my grandfather died. He was crying really hard, and it was the first time I recalled seeing a grown man cry. Now we mourn for him, less than 20 years later.

Another moment of sadness was the miscarriage of Ben's sister's baby. Janessa was four months pregnant, and found out at her check up. The funeral service for the baby was today.

The flipside was the birth announcements of Atsuko's baby boy, Yuzuki, and Chihiro's baby boy...yet to be named. Atsuko is our LST friend and a seeker. Chihiro became a Christian a few years ago, got married to a kind, Christian man named Joji and moved to Yokohama.

Birth and death. In some strange way, they seem to go hand in hand.