It was a beautiful day, in more ways than one. I faced this day with some trepidation in my heart. Memories from last year’s church picnic are still vivid- there was such a brilliant gleam of joy in that day for us when Isaac showed up unexpectedly. He was attending summer classes at SMBI in PA… and he suddenly got a brainstorm (the kind only Isaac could produce) to just make a bee line home for the church picnic. I still remember his triumphant little grin… he was so pleased with himself, and we were equally pleased with him.

I wondered if we would feel a weight of sadness at every turn today, since we all knew he could not bee-line-it home from Heaven so easily. I wondered if I would feel like playing ball today or if I would feel more like stretching out in the grass and staring at the sky so far above us to ponder and weep for our loss. I just didn’t know.

It was a gloriously beautiful day. Everyone seemed so precious today, so cherished. I could have spent all day just going from person to person, hugging them and telling them I love them. Don’t worry. I didn’t hug everybody. :) quite…

We played ball and yelled and cheered for each other. We brought each other drinks and told each other how beautiful we were and how much we loved each other. We talked some. We sat in silence together. We sat alone and watched each other. We kissed the kids and snuggled them and loved on them. The guys let the little guys play with them and coached them kindly. Then they left the little fumbly ladies as well as the grand slam ladies get involved and cheered ’em on all the way through. We enjoyed the living today.

We remembered Isaac. We blew the spider webs out of his ball glove and fingered it reverently. We used it to catch balls. We wore pins with his picture, sometimes on the outside, and other times tucked inside our pockets. We hugged his sisters, his mother, and we cheered them on. We loved them. We missed him.

It was a good day. The hours vanished all too quickly. The sun set. We picked up trash, said good-bye and “I love you.” We wished for another day just like today… tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Tuesday, another day to live if God wills. I will awake and thank God for today, for the healing He brought to our hearts just being together.

Isaac, we love you… forever.