“Perhaps they are not stars in the sky but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy.”

I am continuing to post photos of Jeanie every day until the day of her memorial service on July 16, 2011.  Her sons, John and Vince, have made all the arrangements for a beautiful unforgettable memorial, one that Jeanie so well deserves.

John took this photo of his mom last year at The Willows Nursing Home in Valparaiso, IN

What I have not yet mentioned in my blog is that on the same day that Jeanie died (12:20 a.m. local time in Rensselaer, Indiana), my mother-in-law, Pat Trowbridge, also died (2 pm).  She raised 6 children and was an attorney in Tacoma, WA.  In 2001, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  Here is one of my favorite photos of Pat.  In my mind, I will always see her as the vibrant woman you see below.

Back row: John Brown (my bro-in-law) and Bob (father-in-law). Front row: Nora, me, Pat (mother-in-law) in Ocean Shores, WA

And now off to write a breve vita in Italian about Jeanie.  My Uncle Charlie is having a mass said for Jeanie on Monday in Grotte, Sicily.  The breve vita will be read at the mass.  Just found out that my Uncle Vittorio is also having a mass said for Jeanie on Monday in England!  And my cousin, Padre Vincenzo, will give a funeral mass for Jeanie on Saturday, July 16, in Grotte.  That mass will be said simultaneously with the funeral mass in Rensselaer, Indiana.  I guess I need to write the breve vita really well, in both English and Italian.  It is going to be heard by many!

I am blessed.  I have an amazing family.  Jeanie deserved all this and more.