Tomorrow is All Saint's Day.

I know I just posted an obnoxiously happy post, but now I'm going to do a little bit of reflecting.

Tomorrow is All Saint's Day; a day in which the Church celebrates the lives of the saints triumphant. I believe All Saint's Day is a good day. However, it invites reflection. This past year, a few people I loved dearly died. There was Dick in April, as well as "Dorothy," and there was Karen in May. Other people I knew died this year, but those three were the saddest for me. The other people have exceeding worth as well; I don't want to understate their worth. But sometimes in life, we bond with people more cohesively or quickly.

Like "Dorothy." I only knew her for about a month or two, tops. But there was just something special about her. I met her when she was a patient where I did CPE. She reminded me of Ma. They were so similar that I think I projected some things on to her. But she liked me, and I liked her, and when she died, the family was very gracious to me in letting me know when the services were and where. I still speak with her sister sometimes. "Dorothy" is just one example of how we are graced with wonderful people, even if only for a short time.

Karen died in May. She was a good friend of Ma's. Karen used to ask me to come help her get decorations out of her attic. It was tiresome work, but I enjoyed helping her. Doing physical things to help people makes me happy. Plus, the ladder into the attic was somewhat precarious, so I was glad to go up there instead of her. She also had me house and dog sit sometimes, and I enjoyed that. Being trusted, even as a young adult meant a lot to me. Karen also was so proud and supportive of me in my discernment to ministry. She even came to hear me preach one Sunday, despite the fact she was devoutly Catholic. I felt bad for not getting to see her like I said I would (car troubles occurred the weekend I was home and planned to visit), but I am confident she would be gracious to me about that.

And Dick died in April. Dick was such an awesome guy. He was the man Ma dated for a few years. I met him at church one Sunday because his daughters started attending my church after their mother died. I was the lay leader and one of his daughters came up to me and said, "You did a nice job reading, Trisha!" And Dick walked by like a schoolboy, almost because Ma was standing by me. It was cute. Finally, he asked her out, and they spent a few years together. Dick didn't just "put up" with me; he was a strong supporter of me, but he treated me like an adult. He helped me figure things out around the house, and he was always willing to help me. Dick was just a special, special man. I wasn't resentful toward him when he stopped coming around, because I believe it was too hurtful for him to see my mom's decline. He was fantastic to his wife when she was ill, and it would have been selfish of us to expect him to do the same for Ma. His death, despite the fact he had moved on, was so incredibly painful. Dick had been like a dad to me, and I really loved that man. But, I'm confident in God's mercy toward him, and toward the other two as well.

This post really doesn't need to be posted public, but I am so grateful for their lives, that I figured I would share a bit about them on this All Saint's Eve. And so I say, "For all the Saints who now rest from their labors-Thanks be to God!"