Happy Groundhog Day!  Nearly six years after my last post, I pop up again. I'm still here in rural Minnesota on a very cold and beautiful winter day. The blue light before dawn yesterday made me think of this Blog,and why I chose its name.   Our grandson, the baby shown in my last entries in 2007, is now 5 and he has a little sister who is 2.  They are a dynamic duo, and though they live far away, it makes me happy to think of them and know that they are out there and happy, and well cared for by their parents.  Our daughter is expecting a baby in July--she is thrilled and so are we.  This grandchild will be in Minnesota, at least for the foreseeable future, and that will be fun.  Our nephew is back in Minnesota too, so we do have some relatives here!

        This all leads me to think upon families, families of origin, families of choice, and loved family members and friends who have left this world but not our hearts--those who helped make us who we are.  We are lucky to have people to love in this life.  At this moment, I am thinking with love of my brave and spunky mother, who died 5 years ago yesterday; Jamie's Great Aunt Esther, whose birthday is today; my wise and loving father, whose birthday is tomorrow; and my brother-in-law, Mark, whose birthday is also tomorrow.  I'm also thinking of Johanna Olson, a brave and courageous lover of life, who lost her 15-year battle with brain cancer one month ago today, at the age of 33.