Before heading to the mortuary for my Dad’s wake, I stood in my parents’ bedroom to feel a little closer to my Dad by looking at his things. On his nightstand was Misal Romano Diario–a book containing the readings for Sundays and the other days of year. It seems similar to the books used for the Liturgy of the Hours or the Divine Office, but I’m not sure. I’ll have to read through it more closely. As I was quickly looking through it, I saw a prayer card and realized it was one of the remembance cards they hand out at funerals. It was from his mom’s funeral 31 years ago. It was very moving, and I realized that even after 31 years he still missed her and felt the need to have something to remind him of her on a daily basis. It reminded me of something a friend told me recently: “the pain never goes away, you just learn to live with it”.

I looked out from my parents window and stared at the setting sun.