Deep thoughts on a snowy January night

There are lots of thoughts running through my mind tonight. It is the last Saturday of winter break, it is snowing (again) and there are wind chill warnings out for tomorrow night into the start of the week. There is talk of cancelling school on Monday, so I have my list of students to call, but I am hoping that the really bad weather will pass us by.
At the very least, I hope that the weather is good enough for us to go to Jenny and Jay's tomorrow to celebrate Dane's birthday. He would have been 32 tomorrow. Nine years gone from this earth, but not gone one minute from our hearts. Any of ours. Miss that smile and that hug and that laugh. Everyday.

Clearly, death has been heavy on our minds lately, with the passing of Jack's mom. Still very hard to believe. Jack and I visited with Bucky, Downtown Sue and Paul on New Years Day before driving Paul to the airport so he could catch a flight back to Florida. After we dropped Paul off at the airport, I received a phone call from Sally with the extremely sad news that Grandma and Bucky's doctor, Andy Perez (as mentioned in the Prayers of the Faithful on the side bar) had died suddenly of a massive heart attack on New Years Eve. We were all stunned. Shocked. Speechless. Saddened beyond words. I have known Andy for many years, mostly from my morning walks especially back in the day when we used to stop in Einstein's for coffee (now we only stop twice a week and we go to Starbucks). Andy was the funniest, cutest, most entertaining guy. And he and his wife Patrice have a son and a daughter exactly Wayne and Sally's ages, so we also knew him from those connections (show choir, plays). But the strongest connection was the fact that he became the doctor for Jack's parents. And he treated them so well! Andy was the best. He listened and he cared. Andy was so there for Marie and Bill in the last month of Marie's life. I saw him the day after Marie died, on Friday, Dec 27th. Jean and I were finishing our walk and I saw him at his usual table in Einstein's, so we went in so I could thank him. Andy was so kind and compassionate and genuinely sad about Marie's death. He held my hand and recounted how much he respected her. Andy loved to call Marie "Miss Camelot" because of her Jackie O-ness. Andy said she was one of the smartest women he had ever met. He also said that our family was a big hit with the nurses at Little Company of Mary. Mutual admiration society, for sure.

Andy had season tix to the Hawks; big fan

Last night, Jack and I had dinner and a good visit with Bucky. He is one strong guy. It is fascinating  how death makes you look at your world and the people in it a bit differently. Please say a prayer for my amazing father-in-law.