The Scott Speicher procession-----sigh........

I know I pick, pick, pick.....the news reporterette, Tiffany, just reported that "the roads are lined with people of all ages, with American flags in many of their hands....." Does anyone see the problem with that declaration? Or am I being petty.....If you do not see the problem with the sentence, I will tell you in the Comments.

Here is a lady, holding balloons, standing with us. As she drove into the parking lot where we set up, she shouted from her truck window to save her a place. And I did!! See my beach chair sitting there? I did not even use it, felt better standing up than sitting around, so many people to talk to and such...

The streets ARE lined with people of all ages and colors, the side streets being blocked by fire trucks and rescue vehicles, in salute to the fallen soldier. While not all the fallen are recognized in such a fashion, they should be, this man has strong local ties, having gone to high school here, worshiped, taught Sunday school, and served his country to the fullest measure from Cecil Field, the only airman lost that first night of the Gulf War.

Judy is shown here holding her special flag which represents every branch of the services. The woman behind the one wearing the purple dress is a short-timer, only has two weeks left of her Naval career, as she is retiring after 20 years of service. I could not believe she was old enough to have served that long! When we parted company after the procession passed, I thanked her for her service and she thanked me back for acknowledging it.

Here passes the hearse carrying the remains of Scott Speicher, and was followed by another large car with his family members in it. His wife has since remarried and has more children, as the years left so many unanswered questions as to Scott's status. He went from missing in action to being declared dead and back to missing in action.....I am not a big proponent of "closure" but at least this gives the community a chance to rally FOR someone than AGAINST something!

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Judy was leaving my house and heading over to church to stand with the preschool kids to salute once more as the procession passed Good Shepherd on its way to Jacksonville Memory Gardens. Tara asked me if I was going over to the Gardens but I am not, not today.....

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While waiting for the procession on Roosevelt, Justin and Judy went to Panera to get our breakfast. There was no need for soda as I had a cooler along but he brought me back a cherry Danish. Judy got an iced coffee and quiche to eat. We met such nice ladies who asked if they could stand with us: Karen, Tina and Crystal, none of whom knew each other before. I introduced them as they joined the group, and Tina said, "Wow, you are good! You should be a party planner!" Laughingly, I told her I was, and then Justin threw in, that sassy sassy boy, "She is a community organizer...."

Thunder on the river

Here I sit, ensconced on the love seat with the laptop warming me, nicely, as I became quite chilled at lunch. After water aerobics today, I met Olivia and Sandy over at The Club. I had arranged for us to dine el fresco due to my being in my swim wear. No sooner had Olivia and I gotten seated and served our sodas than did it start to thunder. The nice waiter said it would be just fine for us to move into the "new room" and sit by ourselves there. Sandy called from Fleming Island saying she was pinned down by lightning at the nursing home where she was visiting her mom, but would be along as soon as she could. Seems she has quite the healthy respect for lightning and wanted to wait until it let up before heading out. We waited, Olivia and I, chatting about the latest news since we last spoke at Justin's birthday party.

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We each had some thing different from the lunch menu, with me passing on the sirloin burger for the tuna salad on croissant and Olivia having grouper on angel hair pasta. Sandy had the Chinese ribs which looked so wonderful, made me hungry for the China Buffet! Olivia's pasta had a wine sauce which caused her to have a flash of being overheated. In hindsight I should have that for lunch because I was getting colder and colder sitting there in my wet swim suit under the A/C vent. It felt so wonderful to be outside after lunch, although the skies were greyer and thunder was still rolling.

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We did get to chat with Lauren, a young lady whom graduated from St. Johns a year after Olivia and Justin. She lives in The Palace and works at The Club during the summers, although part of the time off from school was spent interning for the government in Ireland! Poor thing! She is studying political science and European studies, something which Justin would certainly enjoy as well. Lauren attends Vanderbilt which is not terribly far from where Olivia attends. I think Olivia will graduate this year and has begun contacting graduate schools for her next step toward her career path combining her two majors of engineering and psychology----I just cannot remember what type of engineering degree she will have, it might come to me yet!

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Maggie brought me a DVD to watch based on the life of Cole Porter (imagine that!) so it is playing in the background as I write. The movie is rather, uh, interesting with Porter being, shall we say, a man who swung both ways, and yet had a loving marriage. I am not sure what I make of the movie but the acting and costumes are good. It has a sort of "Great Gatsby" feeling to it. Tomorrow a group of us from The Palace are going to see "Julie and Julia" at the Fleming Island theater and Olivia is planning to join us. I am excited to see it again, and laugh with my friends!

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My arms and shoulders and upper back are truly achy after the workout this a.m. where we used the bar bells the entire class. We did push ups and jumping jacks and other seemingly impossible movements in the water. My punch card shows only one more class for me and I do not intend to sign up again for the organized classes since I can do my version of exercise in the pool on my own. Hopefully Maggie will continue to come over and hang out with me, although technically pool time is drawing to a close. After Labor Day the cabana closes and they have an end of season party to wrap it all up. Nuts! This is not to say that I will cease going down there, it is just that it seems like such a let down when the cabana quits serving our food and drinks....

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Even at this point, the sky remains dark and thunder continues to roll. Last night or rather, early this a.m., we had a tremendous thunder storm complete with rain. Thus far today there has been no rain, at least not around here. The painters still manage to keep busy, today some working on sanding and scraping the old paint from the railings, readying them for the fresh black paint. Last night at the Board Meeting for the condo one of the members asked me if I would serve on the color committee to help decorate the lobby but again, I respectfully declined. There are already enough people on that team, they do not need to thicken the plot. Many members of the Board are ready to be replaced next year and want off. Please do not ask me, please, do not make me say "NO! Thank you" again!

Hey, what is going on with the cable service?

Oh, wait, never mind, it seems to be fixed. We cannot be messing with the cable in this building, not that too on top of the various and sundry repairs going on. There are people everywhere, hanging off the side of the building or balancing on the "cherry picker" stretching for spots that appear just out of reach. Somewhere in the building trim work is being done because ever so often I hear the buzz of a miter saw, doing the quick cuts needed for piecing. Perhaps, with all the "buzz" going on with the building, the cable was interrupted or damaged. All is well now, and "House" reruns are playing. I am done with radio listening at this time of the day, and am ready for my rest!

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This a.m. was spent working on a few things for church, including putting together a notice and sign-up sheet for an upcoming show at the Thrasher-Horne called "Church Basement Ladies". The title alone captures my fancy, because even though we have no basement, we do have church ladies!!! It is promoted as being "family friendly" with good, clean humor. This group of four ladies, assorted shapes, sizes and age groups work together on church projects and meals, sharing their life stories, sorrows and joys. It sounds quite funny, with the best part being that there is a dinner following the show, consisting of a Southern-style bbq! Does that sound yummy or what??? I hope we get a favorable response to this, being at a more local venue for most of Orange Park, and in the afternoon for those not given to night driving.

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Oh, oh! The sky over my right shoulder has taken on quite the darkened appearance as the time for the rush hour storms grows closer. Today there was a fatal crash between a bicyclist and a motorcycle on south Blanding Blvd., with the bicyclist dying, and the other biker being transported in critical condition. The roads in the area were closed with traffic being rerouted around the crash site. More sadness in our county again this week.

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Lunch today was shared with Maggie and Marissa, her daughter, at Koko's. Ellen and her daughter did not make it but none of us were too surprised by this. We just must find something to drag Ellen out and amongst the living again, too many days go by without catching sight of her. Anyway, Marissa, a teacher, is going to work next week so this was our sendoff as she begins her career as Drama Teacher at a high school in Jax. Following in her mama's footsteps, and her father's too, I hear. Huang was our cook today, as the owner made sure he got our table so I had my special onion in lieu of other veggies. He is the best chef! Yummy! Leftovers all around, with me sharing some of the chicken with Caesar Augustus, Julia's dog. Somehow he knows when I have been to Koko's, unless, of course, he recognizes the to-go box.....smart dog!

Orange moon, orange sun

Last night as I climbed into bed, the moon had still not risen. Or at least it was not visible behind clouds or whatever was preventing my viewing it. At one point I glanced out the window once more and ta da! There it was---deep orange in color and spilling light across the water. The light in the water was not orange, oddly enough----or not! The moon is no longer full, having passed the height of fullness, a gibbous moon, but yet oh so gorgeous. This is what I fell asleep to, but woke with its counterpart orb, shining across the water in orange as well. Good morning, sunshine! I would be willing to bet the orange was the same color on both sky lights, which is truly cool!

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It seems as though there is chaos in many parts of the world, not only our nation's supposed "health care crisis". No, these are earthquakes, typhoons, flash floods, and other natural disasters around the globe. Yikes! Yesterday I told Pastor about the report I had seen on the news where a shark jumped into a boat off the shores of Florida somewhere and knocked people over with its frantic flipping about. Oops! It was obviously a mistake in judgement for the shark but once the fishers got it under control, they managed to toss it back out into the water. Pastor said it sounded like some of the warnings of End Times, and I told him not to tease me like that....I am going to have to read up on some of those 'signs' so I recognize them when they come. Always have oil in your lamps, people!

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In Sunday's Bible study at Victory, which was the video series, "The Truth Project", the discussion was about The State: Whose Law? In the course of the study, the professor takes us through history, primarily Bible history, most profoundly when Israel came to Samuel demanding he get them a king, so they could be like everyone else around them. Oh, great! Yes, Samuel's sons were corrupt leaders but that should not have been a deal breaker, should not have had the people turn their backs, in a way, on the leadership directly from God. (I Samuel 8) This lecture series was prepared in 2004, nearly five years prior to this amazing grab of power, industry, finance, liberty, and so on experienced in 2009. Near the end of the lesson, there is a list of things that were taking place prior to and during the fall of the great Roman Empire and it read like a checklist for America----pretty daunting stuff. The decline of the family, distortion of what made a family, the decreasing value of life, debauchery, hedonistic behaviors, more reliance on the State for support and entertainment. Check, check, check, check, and check....

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Many, many years ago I was watching a TV special about driving---not my usual type of viewing but whatever.....The reporter was showing different things to do when going down the road, to avoid over-correcting and things like that, driving on black ice, teaching young people to use good judgment and so on. One point made, that really stayed with me, was by an expert in car crashes, "the driver lost control of the vehicle". The expert's point was that nine of out ten times, the driver simply relinquishes control of the car, and assumes crash position. His point was---do not give up so easily, keep trying to regain control and do not surrender without a fight. I think that is a valuable lesson, instruction, for us in every aspect of our existence, keeping in mind that the Lord is really the one with control. He is the great I AM!

Waiting for the moon to rise

Well, I finally did it......turned on the A/C this evening. Seems odd to turn it on after the sun has gone down but for some reason or another, it seemed to be stuffy in here this evening. The thermometer on it read 82 degrees which is warmer than I normally keep it so I wonder how come it did not kick in without my prompting. Maybe I worked up a sweat laughing with Linda J. on the phone. So, what was funny? Linda is on the committee planning her 45th class reunion, although she claims to have graduated when she was 10 years old.....What really made me laugh, though, was her comment, "You know you are getting old when you schedule the reunion from 1:00 to 8:00 pm instead of 8:00 pm to 1:00 am!!!! She said they can all be home and in bed by 9:00 o'clock on a Saturday night!!! Linda is such a hoot!!!

This is a shot of the moon Saturday night but it does not do it justice. The reflections in the water are absent for some reason. It was still bright enough to light my rooms without benefit of a lamp, which works for casting moonshadows across the floor. My delight!

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I heard from my friend, Kathy B. tonight after her daughter and she went to see "Julie and Julia". She did not love it as much as Justin and I did. I hope I did not ruin it for her by talking it up too much but she denies that, having had a preconceived notion she would love it. Huh, too bad! Joanne was going to see it today with her dad who used to use Julia's cookbook AND speaks French! Joanne might have gotten more out of it than her dad, though, as often happens, but I credit her with trying to get him out and about more.

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Today I ran all around our county and into the next making Outreach contacts for prospective members. I did too much backtracking because I did not carefully plan my outings but I was just riding in the car and listening to the radio, so no worries. While heading west/south on Blanding I got a call from Sandy Hilchey that they saw me going down the road as they were heading home. I had to pass on a chance to have dinner with them last week as I was already booked for something else, and now it seems like time is going too fast. Olivia will have to head back to college soon in TN. At least she got to spend some time here for Justin's birthday when she presented me with a lovely bouquet of roses....

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I also stopped at church to check the classrooms, seeing if there was a need for Kathy B.'s computer desk she is giving away. It seems they do need at least one because there were four computers and monitors on the floor in the hallway! I finally got hold of Laurie, who is going to teach the kindergarteners and she said she would use the desk. Now, to get it from Kathy's to the classroom----can anyone say "truck"? The preschool classrooms are getting moved over from the Fellowship Hall little bit by little bit by the staff members and are starting to take shape. I also popped into the church office and as I chatted with Pastor, he told me that he was able to see his very first manatees in the river outside the hospital when his wife was getting her chemo port put in. This seems so odd, on a busy portion of the river to have these peaceful bulky creatures munching away. I told him they would be scrawny once they swam all the way to my portion of the river!

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Mmmm, I discovered something really quite delicious.....Oreo Stix! They are like straws of Oreo with the white creamy stuff lining the inside of the straw. These were in my cupboard ever since Nancy and family were here, something I bought for the kids to enjoy while down at the pool. Since we did not go to the pool, the cookie stix were forgotten until I came upon them recently. Yummy! They would be a welcome addition to the goody bags I make up for church, as look as they remain fresh for a period of time. Only the first-time visitors get the goody bag and I make up a few at a time to keep the goodie portion fresh. Right now I have Rice Krispie Treats which are foil wrapped in the bags, so they have a longer life span.

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Today I spoke with my sis-in-law, Mona, for well over an hour---it seems we have much to talk about all the time. She was telling me about Arno and how he is doing (better these days) and about Allie with her sports, etc. There was a family wedding this past weekend that was much fun as it also involved a crossover of people who used to work with Mona. She was able to go from group to group to group, mingling. I get that! The highlight of our conversation was a huge downpour of much needed rain while she sitting on her porch. It was so noisy that I could hear it over the phone! She said it was puddling on her lawn and flooding her sidewalks. No going to the beach for them today, even though the temps have finally warmed in Manty.

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Some of the neighbors were out on the sundeck tonight but believe if it you will, I opted to stay in. The other night I sat out while wearing my caftan since I had come up from the pool and did not want to dress any more at that hour of the night. Tonight I am still fully clothed and decided to stay in. What has become of me? I am upside down! Actually, I got busy with some stuff and made the decision to stay on task and write Judy R. a note!

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Tomorrow a.m. is water aerobics class and then some social time, I am hoping. Kathy needs some promotional pieces for our choir/musicians social here on the 23rd which I offered to produce, plus I am working on getting a new banner for the preschool/kindergarten advertising. Laurie asked me to help with that since I asked what I could do to help her. I will be glad to make those calls and arrangements, since I cannot "lift and tote" like I used to......so this is my version of carrying my own weight.....

The end of an amazing weekend

If you recall, my week started out with a thump upon learning of the drownings of the two little girls in Argyle, not far from my church. I am yet heartsick for their family, knowing the long road toward regained footing they face.

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Monday night brought the church ladies were over to hold our Ladies' Group meeting and a social event which was just a smash! A great balance for the sorrow earlier that day.

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Tuesday and Thursday were the water aerobics classes and the special social time this offers, especially with Maggie and Randy, the Cole Porter guy. Wednesday our plans to hold Happy Hour at the neighboring establishment fell flat due to the deluge which rolled through right at the time we were to meet. I had gotten my hair cut that day and stopped to see my friends at Hang Ups. It was a delightful time but since I had to stop at the store, I had to leave before the heavens opened. But just barely! As I drove toward home, the heavens again released its overflow of accumulated moisture on us, complete with lightning flashes and thunder rolls. Late into the night this continued making our plans null and void. No worries, always something else to do instead!

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Thursday were plans to go with a group to Koko's but for one reason or another, the rest dropped off, leaving Kathy B. and I to enjoy the nice lunch. We both had "business" at Great Hang Ups and it was nice to visit once more in the week. Dee had left only moments before we came in to be with a friend whose husband was in the hospital (next to the word "FRIEND" in the dictionary is a picture of Dee!) so we missed her. Julia was happy to see us, though, and Kathy talked to her about some potential commissioners for the gallery. That evening was the themed dinner with only one empty place left at the table. Still some delicious leftovers in the fridge, waiting for me to polish them off!

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The pool was visited as often as possible this week, between storms, and Saturday was nearly a day-long event of pool time. Although I was out of the water to eat my lunch, the hot dog and pasta salad, most of the 5-6 hours I was out there was spent baking in the water. Hiss, sizzle, hiss as the sun did its thing to my skin....Jessica, my upstairs neighbor, asked me if I was trying to change my race by getting so dark. Miss Chardonnay and Jessica played several hands of Rumikub and were later joined by Ashley Rose who came down to "play" with us. She has no swimwear so could not swim at all, but burns extremely easily, even sitting under the umbrella she was red! Later we reconvened on the 2nd floor sundeck until just before dark. I love spending time with my neighbors and friends! And witnessed three weddings between Saturday and this afternoon!!! Cha-ching for The Club!

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This morning I attended Bible study and worship at Victory. It had been my plan to do so and to have the Vance's there was simply the icing on the cake, as it were. The Bible study was a repeat of the study I attended during the week, before summer began, The Truth Project, with the theme today being about "The State: Whose Law?". I know Justin would have been extremely interested in this topic. While in the class I got a text message from him, asking me to the movies and setting up a time for them. He did not know I was at Victory---SURPRISE! He just said, "Okay, I will see you in a few..." and he did!

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The service was wonderful, with singing "Just As I Am", and finishing with "In Christ Alone". A couple people on Facebook reported either singing or having it played for them today as well. Such a perfect hymn, and I could hear Duane's voice coming from behind me. We sit up closer so Justin can hear better, this time on the piano side as Rachel was absent today. Victory also welcomed a large number of transferred members, the majority of them from "my" church, so they had 23 people lined up across the front....and Pastor got almost all the names correct!

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Justin and I hung around after church (really?) so I could get a picture with the Vances. He said normally he just leaves but today Justin didn't mind hanging out and talking with some of the guys in the 20 Something group he is part of. I got to see many many people there I know, and since we usually attend on Saturday evenings when they have worship, Sundays bring everyone together at once. A good amount of hugging and hand shaking went on, plus I got to hug on a little fellow whom I will miss at Good Shepherd....Zach told me once that he had two friends at church---his grandma and Miss Kim! Sweet boy!

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After church we took my car over to the Mall to grab some lunch before the movie. As he got into my car, the music came on rather loudly, and he asked, "What kind of hippy music are you listening to now?" since he knew it was not Sarah Brightman. I explained it was Leonard Cohen and he was hardly a hippy, he usually is sporting a full suit and fedora, and is 75 years-old now! He would have been more of a beatnik in his day, more a poet/song writer than singer, which came later.

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Justin and I had lunch at Steak 'n Shake, with me having something from their new menu, a Wisconsin Butter Burger!! Like Culvers! According to Justin, they even matched Culver's font on the menu, and the flavor was all that I remember of my last butter burger. No need to go up to WI just for a decent butter burger! Which leads me into the movie we watched, "Julie and Julia"!!! My, how we laughed! Julia Child, played masterfully by Meryl Streep, can talk of nothing but butter, and we could hear audible ooohs and aahhhs as the actresses/chefs prepared the most marvelous looking delights onscreen. Justin kept giving me the elbow when he saw or heard something from "Julia" that reminded him of me, like her expressions and her sense of humor. At points he was even stamping his foot with laughter, it was such a great movie!!! It was so good, in fact, that as we walked out, I told him, "I almost feel like cooking!" We had a great day together in worship, singing "In Christ Alone" (I saw him doing some quick blinking at the end of the hymn....my boy!) and then our fun afternoon....can't ask for much better than that!

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Back to Cohen: I knew of his work since the late 60's when the female folk singers I liked covered his songs. My bro-in-law David, gave me a CD he compiled of our "old favorites" last summer, containing music from when Lori and I were younger, like the late '60's. He included some sung instead by the original artist, which totally changes the impact for me, as compared to hearing it sung by Judy Collins. It seems my upstairs neighbor, Michelle, is also a fan of Cohen's music, and I boldly asked her if I could borrow her CDs to load onto my computer for listening at home. Justin played a song for me on his iPhone, asking if I knew the artist and of course, I did! It was Bob Dylan and he said he is loving Dylan's music more and more these days. Talk about an old hippy! I am loving this as he discovers now the music I grew up on!

Basking once more in the sun...

....while yet in my rooms! The sun is simply beaming in on me, making me squint ever so slightly against the glare. I must be careful to not add to the "sunbursts" around my eyes, which were nicely pointed out to me by Justin. I told you that I prefer them being called sunbursts, he claims I smile too much at the pool, than to refer to the medical term of "crow's feet"! Laugh lines are the more preferable description. Justin would also like for me to take my laptop to the pool area so I can write from there but the battery is not sufficient to support operating the machine at any length. One option would be to plug in while in the cabana but then I would be out of touch, so to speak, with the "live" world....

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He also thinks he figured out why I get the pink warning box when I am on Facebook. His theory is that Facebook thinks I am a computer, answering people's updates or status' things at random. Justin said, "Most people just put in their two cents' worth, but you put in a buck fifty!!". Thanks, Justin!

*Sitting in the chair, strangely enough, is Timmy, in one his camp shirt and short outfits made by Grandma K. Facing the camera is Rachel, looking like a little angel. Julie Harris is watching over the VBS kids while June Hanvey digs in the cabinet for supplies.

*WARNING:

On the subject of the "live" world, I was contacted on Facebook by a former member of Good Shepherd, the daughter of my friend, Judy H., who moved to Knoxville a few years ago. Rachel has a special place in my heart, being a Sunday school classmate of Timmy's. When Timmy died, we had a visitation period before the funeral service started at the church. Rachel came up to where I was sitting, and simply buried her face in my lap, as her mom stood to the side. After a moment, I looked up at Judy and she had the look of "what should I do?" and I motioned to just leave her. Rachel could stay as long as she needed to. She was a bit older than Timmy and felt the loss quite strongly, and expressed it as only a child can. No wait, I take that back.....when Cindy S. finally allowed herself to come to the house, she, too, buried her face in my lap.....