I've been pretty quiet on here lately...life has been mainly status quo.  I have been enjoying summer.  I've gotten a few projects done (though I have several left to go, and now we're coming up on the downhill slide of summer!) read a few books, watched a *little* TV, and gotten LOTS of puppy snuggles.  So that's where I've been - busy doing mostly nothing!

Today, on one of the Facebook pages I follow, I read the following quote: "Think of the joy a firework display brings.  It has a tremendous burst of energy and color.  It causes those viewing it to be overcome with 'oohs' and 'ahhs' as they watch from afar.  The tremendously beautiful lights cause a spectacular feeling to erupt from your core being.  There are people in our lives that are like that; they bring forth tremendous bursts of color and beauty into our lives, and then they are gone and stop without warning.  After the firework display is over, we can hold onto their memory as the sky turns dark again, but we will always have that wonderful memory tucked away.  And the capability of having a memory is a gift from God so we can always see the sparks in our mind."  ~Ron Heitmann

As I read this, I immediately thought of Henry.  He was definitely a burst of energy and color, beauty and love.  And although he is gone, that beauty and love remains tucked away in our memory.  I have tucked away the feeling of rocking him to sleep, the sound high-pitched gasps he made as he drank his bottle, the sight of his beautiful smile, and even the smell of some of his world-class blowouts.  And although some memories fade with time, the brightness of these memories will stay with me forever.

On this holiday weekend, enjoy the sights and sounds of those beautiful lights in the sky, and enjoy the memories of any bright lights gone too soon from your life.  Happy 4th!