Ode to One of the Moms

While I was in seminary, I was in a spontaneously formed small group of nine amazing women (eight of the nine are pictured above). We loved each other through the difficult days of trying to figure out calling, future vocations, relationships and so much more. I am proud to say that we have continued to stay in touch.

Somehow a part of our group's identity became love of our moms. We constantly told "your mom" stories and looked forward to having all of our moms with all of us together at graduation. We were all thrilled to have this picture together before we all went our different ways in May of 2006.

All of us got sad news a couple weeks ago involving our friend Monique. While this had been an overall happy year for Monique (who just this year had her first child), other things in her life had gone terribly wrong. While her dad was recovering from heart surgery, her mom was in a car wreck. They learned she had a heart attack which caused her to be in a coma, completely unresponsive for days. Then, she died at the young age of 49 on September 22nd.

So, today in this posting, I'm remembering Monique's mom (fifth from the right in the photo), her life, and especially her unique formation on the life of my seminary friend. My prayers are with her and her family as they grieve.

Days like today make me remember that life is indeed short. Today is the day for all of us to make the most of every opportunity we have to share in life's blessings!