Red October

The Lion King was, and still is, one of my all-time favorite movies.

Having young kids has given me an excuse to revisit the old animation classics. This movie came out about 3 months after my dad died. When Mufasa died in that stampede, I lost it in the theater.I remember my mother carrying my little brother and me out because I was crying so hard. That scene will always be sentimental to me. That movie, mirrored with my father’s death, taught me a valuable lesson about the circle of life and how quickly life passes.

October is my favorite month of the year in Texas. Summer is leaving and fall is entering. The weather is typically not too hot and not too cold. The colors and cycle of nature are changing and on display.

I write this blog as October is ending, and what an eventful October this has been, both personally and for the world at large.

We never know what life will give us. I am learning and trying, as we all are, to navigate and handle the cycles. I am finding this to sometimes be a lot easier said than done. “Hold to His hand…” sings one of my favorite hymns growing up in church. “…To God’s unchanging hand…” For me in these times, it has been The Rock, the consistency I am on a hunt for.

The month started with a family visit to The State Fair of Texas to celebrate my son’s 7th birthday.

“Mommy, can we go to The Fair with my family for my birthday?” This has been my son’s only request since his last birthday. A small group of us went early morning and practically had the place to ourselves for the first hour. We rode and we ate. He enjoyed himself; we all did to some extent. This was the celebration of a new milestone for my son, and he wanted and was able to spend it with his family.

As the circle of life constantly flows, just three days later, both my Pops and Uncle died within four hours of one another. This has added to the list of loved ones my family and I are mourning in this years’ time.

For me, I can understand the circle of life in its simplicity: birth, life, death. But as we know, it can be a little more complex than that. My family and I are leaning on that every lasting love and one another. I am thankful for their presence, hugs, talks, and love. Death has a way of connecting people; the prayer is for a stronger and tighter connection.

Death gives way to new life.

My family would end the month in the Dominican Republic for my cousin’s wedding. This is a trip that had been planned over a year ago. This celebration and relaxation were very much needed and welcomed. The thirty or so of us ate together every day, worked out, laughed, danced, had a boat experience, that I will save for another time, on the beach together celebrating love. Now isn’t that the layer of the experience that gives human’s circle of life complexity and depth? Love. With so much going on in our lives and the world around us, we could all use a little love.

October has been filled with ups and down, but God.

I am so thankful for my son: his spirit and his kind heart. He is so caring, wise and funny. My family and I continue to grieve, mourn, and heal as we move forward after death. I pray for the strength of my cousin’s union and his expanded family.

Life is proving to be much like Texas weather, “if you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute. Life too, is holding to the promise of change. It is not a matter of if, but when.

October will continue to be my favorite month, for now. I pray and hope we remain and try to find a way to smile even as life continues to life.

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