What a Ride

Kind of an emotional roller coaster today. In a nutshell...

Work was typical Monday stress. Then I took the afternoon off and met Jim in Waupaca so we could travel together up to Menominee, Mich., for a funeral visitation for our friend Pete's dad. Got there about 4 p.m. when it started. Was glad to go and be there for him since most of his friends are also long distance. Not sure if any arrived later. His dad, who I knew as a pastor of my aunt and uncle's church when I was growing up, was a good man.

After our visit there, we drove around my old stomping grounds for a bit, stopping to greet "my" lighthouse. That always moves the roller coaster upward.

Still a beautiful sight, but apparently spring is on hold up there! Actually, a good local source told me the bay was clear on Saturday but the wind blew all the ice back in on Easter Sunday. Plus, there were parts in northeast Wisconsin that got a whole lotta snow in the past 24 hours. Ahhh, spring in the Midwest.

After a brief, chilly stop at the marina, we paid a surprise visit to my looooong-time friend Cindy, who I worked with at the newspaper there 25 years ago. Oh yes, we are sisters for life! She was quite surprised and excited, too. I was happy to see her and, as a bonus, see her son and daughter and two grandchildren. That was very nice.

We only stayed a half hour and then headed home. Wanted to see another friend or two but we had a nearly 3-hour drive and a Badger tipoff at 8:15. Ha.

Well, if you are still up, you probably were on that roller coaster ride turned zero-gravity plunge right along with us. Dang. Wisconsin could have had that. They could have. And I really thought they would.

Oh well. It's just a game. Not life or death as so many things have been lately. So just hold onto the bar with one hand until the next up or down.

And with the other hand, grab hold of a loved one to get you through it – and hang on tight!