You boys didn't have a chance to know your Grandpa Carroll in this world. As young kids, you did spend a lot of time with your Grandma - which was a wonderful thing. When she passed in 2008, the best explanation for you both was that "her body stopped working". While it's great that you've had so much more time with Grammie and Grandad Rivers in the Philadelphia area, you don't get to see them nearly as often.
In the past couple weeks, we lost two extended family members. Aunt Margaret (Zeller) Carlson - Grammie's sister - passed after a few years dealing with dementia. Also Kyra and Luke's grandmother Lynne Bloom passed after a series of ailments including strokes. We know they had long, mostly happy lives - but it's not easy to say goodbye and we'll miss them. Rob, you and I went to Lynne's graveside funeral last Sunday and spent some time afterwards with Aunt Di, Uncle Lawrence, Kyra, Luke and others. Here is a photo of Aunt Margaret from a short hike we took near Hancock to look out over the beautful southern New Hampshire mountains.
The cantor leading Lynne's service mentioned that she had been a light to her family and community. As we remember them, here's a sweet, simple African-American song about bringing our lights into this world - each of us sharing our unique personalities, talents and energy.
