Snow Day and Passing Away

We had a snowstorm today in Rochester, NY. It's 9:45 pm and it's still snowing outside and I can hear the wind howling as I type. So, here I am sipping my cup of hot cocoa, trying to stay warm. I have lived in Rochester all my life and you would think by now I would be used to this type of weather, but I can never get used to being buried in snow, digging out my car, cold winds, ice, and dangerous driving conditions. It is so pretty to look at..a world blanketed in white and it certainly feels like Xmas. It will definitely be a white Xmas this year. So, I used the day to put up a few Xmas decorations, although I skipped putting up a tree. I wasn't going to do anything, but I know my parents would not like me skipping Xmas.

Yesterday, I attended the funeral of Raniero, a close family friend. A few months ago he was diagnosed with cancer, but his heart could not hold out. I have known Raniero and his wife Nicolena and their family since I was a child. I had a conversation with their son, George and he said his father and my father are now together in heaven.. yes, they are, probably playing bocce ball, lol! It's very tough to lose someone at Xmas time, but death doesn't know holidays and the one-year anniversary of my Mom's death is coming up. At the church, while listening to Raniero's eulogy, I was reminded of my Mom's death and shed a few silent tears.

When death must come at Christmastime,
There is a special grief,
A mourning that must mix with joy,
A pain that must be brief.
There is an anguish underneath
The labyrinth of light
That longs for simple emptiness
To contemplate the night.
But life must bubble on its way
And pleasure be put on,
For neither sorrow nor delight
Is ever left alone.
And, like the Virgin, we must smile
With enigmatic grace
As we receive the fragile gift
That nothing can replace.