our 20th...

Okay...we think of Christine daily but may not say her name out loud or 'burden' others by saying something...(side-bar: some people must wonder--'aren't they over 'it' yet) but today was a special day.

Tonight was a somber night celebrating our 20th anniversary...reflecting on our 10th anniversary in Europe and all that life has shown us in 10 years...then we felt her presence 3 times.

1. As I was riding my bike home from the train tonight, I see my neighbor/friend Charlie out on his lawn and I have not stopped to say hi/chat in a long while...so I do. We chat about this/that and I ask him how their vacation to northern Wisconsin was a few weeks earlier (sidebar: in 2005 we joined them for vacation at the same place...a great gift to join them and recall those precious moments there with Christine and Lauren together) I had not told Charlie that it was our 20th...he says the vacation was okay...lots of wind-not much time in the lake. He then said that on one dark night he lit a solitary candle on the beach of the small lake ... but did not really say why, thinking he must have told me he's done this for the last 4 years...if he told me, I don't recall...but the more he spoke, he was letting me know that it was his way of remembering Christine. What a nice gesture...

2. Minutes later, I walked into the house to get ready for our dinner out and I see the mail-pile. On top is a note from the Parish letting us know that a Mass will be said for Christine on Sunday November 1, All Souls Day...that was nice of the Herman's to do.

3. After dinner we are driving back home and I'm telling C about Charlie and the candle and she begins to tell me her story/experience from earlier in the day. She was in the neighboring suburb of AH and was walking across a street when she hears a woman in a car yell out..."Aren't you Christine's mom?" --turns out to be a mom of a kid in Christine's class from 4 years ago...wanted to just say hi to C. C has not seen this woman in 4 years and barely knew who she was...yet the lady took the time to say hi and chat.

4. And then...I get home and Bone has emailed me and tells me about his picture of Christine on his desk and how he draws inspiration from her...the email was in the 'air' as C and I were talking about our Christine moments on the car ride home from dinner...nice.

So, in one day we have someone telling us of their candle lighting moment for Christine, a Mass to be said for Christine a hi to Christine's mom and a very touching note from a dear friend and how Christine impacts his life. None of these people knew it was a 'hard' day for us or that it was our 20th...yet we were given the gift of hearing her name & seeing it in writing just when we needed it...thank you!