Little joys

What a day to come back to the real world.

This morning was the memorial service for Tom...what an incredible service. The best non-Catholic memorial I have ever been to. The most touching moments came in the video tribute he made in January 2005 - describing his life, his love for his wife, his kids, his passion for living...and you got to hear all of it in his words. There was not a dry eye following the tribute, in fact, he received a standing ovation after it finished.

One of the songs that really stuck out to me in it was "Walk Down this Mountain" by Bebo Norman. (Super sleuth Kris found it for me) A piece of it is found here. It was perfect for the moment, for his life, for the aspiration of how each of us should face our lives...the moments in time, the people we love, the changes that happen...and how we are called to offer up our struggles... You know...if we let Him, God can change our stumbling blocks into stepping stones...as long as we approach it from the right place in our heart.

And a little joy this afternoon...my famous $153 ticket has been resolved! It was an adventure in the courtroom - consider it a public confessional. I can handle one-on-one with Fr. Young, but with 40 strangers listening to me explain why I was going 80 mph...ah, the joy of humility. But the judge thanked me for my candor (must have been the "I'm guilty. Really guilty. But here's why I deserve mercy.") and deferred my ticket!

The countdown is on...I need to have a clean driving record through my 28 11/12 birthday...and the ticket will disappear!

Off to Mass tonight for All Saints Day...for those of you Catholics who haven't gotten to Mass yet today, get off your pagan behinds and head over. You have 24 minutes. :)