A few weeks ago, my wife’s grandmother passed away after a decade-long battle with heart failure. As we drove from the funeral home to the church for her memorial service, I was unusually alert in the back seat, taking in my surroundings. I  logged the following notes in my iPhone. Here they are, verbatim.

Procession through Cleveland streets. To Collinwood. Chilled air. Leaves sneaking from trees. Windy road. Color coded homes. Faint yellow, bright red, baby blue. Even orange and pink.  More colors than the falling leaves. Long line of cars in a stately march, crawling toward Holy Redeemer. Purple flags with crosses flapping. Headlights like candles lighting the way. Solemn sadness separated by the occasional cracked smile or relief filled giggle or nostalgic belly laugh. Flashes of anger  and fear. Disbelief. Numbness. Mixture of emotions creating an intricate recipe, bursting with flavor and complexity. Combinations. Colors. Emotions. A swirling world around me.

I share that to share this. Never lose sight of the complexity of the world around us. It’s subtle, but if you are alert, you’ll see an incredibly detailed design and a wildly diverse range of factors intertwined with one another. Polar opposites knitted together, competing and complementing one another. Vibrant and dynamic. Rich and textured. Highs, lows, triumphs, tragedies. This day is every day. And there are so many days when I am numb to the complexity around me. When I disregard the blessings God has laid before me. When I don’t embrace the swirl of life for the magic it is. We’ll miss you Gram. But thanks for reminding us of the vibrance and richness of the world you left behind.