Batter Up!

My friend Karalee has a quote from Dumbledore on her blog. "Numbing the pain for awhile makes it worse when you finally feel it." Today that quote fit my life to a tee. My only brother passed away unexpectedly in December. It made the winter seem even longer, and now it's taking forever for summer to come. There are still moments when I think, "If only the sun would shine, I would wake up from my bad dream and John would be on the other end of the phone, telling me his trademark jokes and making me laugh." Not to be. I spent the morning with my parents picking out a memorial stone for the sight where they have chosen to bury his ashes. It was weird. I always thought he would be with me, picking out the headstones for our parents, not the other way around.

It reminded me of when he used to play baseball. He could throw a mean curveball, and usually strike out his batter. I think the last six months have dealt our family a bad curveball, and we were the ones who struck out! Now it's time for me to get up off the bench, grab a bat, take a swing, and start playing the game again. The numbness has worn off, I've felt the pain, and now I'm ready to heal.