Girls DO What Girls Must Do

Statesville, North Carolina is starting to explode with the newness of Spring. My sister and I have been taking pictures for several weeks now, perhaps, subconsciously trying to urge new life out of winter. Check out her Garden Blog at http://ginnysgarden.blogspot.com/.Today, on our walk we saw dogwoods, redbud, magnolia, and a number of flowering bushes. It has been so wonderful to have Spring awaken this week. It is Holy Week. It is the week after my Father's death. It has been a week of sorrow and blessings, time with family, a time to look back, a time to look forward, a time to receive, a time to release, a time to believe, a time to rejoice, a time to weep, a time to be thankful.

Yesterday, my step-mother, step-sister, sister, and I were stirred up by the warm day and abundant sunshine. Anticipating the coming weekend with a time to celebrate my Daddy's life and the resurrection of Christ on back to back days, we found ourselves propelled to do what girls must do: go shopping, get a pedicure, and then go to out to dinner at the finest restaurant in Charlotte, my brother and sister-in-law's house, complete with after dinner drinks on their garden patio. You would have thought we were getting ready for a party. And, now, as I think about it, perhaps that is exactly what we were doing. We each bought something to wear Saturday when we bury Daddy under a cherry tree and go with the 40 some family members to the church to honor this wonderful man we called Pat, Daddy, Grandaddy, Great Grandaddy, Bonus Dad, Uncle, and friend. Then, like the good southerners that we are, we will eat together...again, after someone tries to remember the exact words of Daddy's mealtime blessing.