This past week, my wife’s mother passed away after many years of suffering with dementia. It really is the cruelest of diseases. It robs the mind of those who suffer with it and wreaks untold pain upon those who love and care for them … in this case my dear wife who selfishly stood by and cared for her mom for almost eleven years. Now it was over. We left for Buffalo and the next day she was transported there to be buried alongside my wife’s father. Our kids came too and we all met up the morning of the burial. No funeral; at 96 years of age she had outlived pretty much everyone that knew her. So just us to say some words, share some memories and bury her.

As we started our somber service the rain started, on cue, just as the weatherman said it would. I hate it when these guys are right! Nevertheless, while we all got wet and our shoes got muddy, the service was quite touching. We ate a nice lunch together on the way to the cemetery, but that didn’t stop us from having some major ice cream before my kids left to travel back to their homes (FYI, Anderson’s is not only a Buffalo institution, but the best soft serve ice cream on the planet!). Ice cream is truly delightful thing, possessing mysterious and great therapeutic powers to make those who are feeling down feel much better. Try it sometime when you need to. Works like a charm!

After everyone was on their way, we went back to the hotel to wind down and then headed out to diner, feeling better about things. The food was great so it only made sense  to check out the dessert menu, but within seconds it was obvious we needed one more Anderson’s fix. Twice in one day, was it crazy? Of course! Was it the right thing to do? Absolutely!!

That night I didn’t sleep very well. Perhaps it was the many chocolate covered coffee beans I had with my ice cream. In any case, I thought about the beautiful pictures of my family that I had made with my mind’s eye. After a while I meandered onto the pictures I hoped to make this year with my camera and some possible new directions that hadn’t crossed my mind before. I didn’t get much rest, but it was the best night of little or no sleep I’d had in a long time, and woke up strangely refreshed.

Stay well,

Michael