My friend Helen thought of every detail for her good bye party yesterday at First Methodist Church in Sandpoint.
That doesn't mean that those officiating followed all of her rules.
Quite the contrary in one case when Pastor Steve Neuder cast aside a pile of papers Helen had prepared with important information before her passing.
Still, I feel confident that she would have loved her service, especially seeing all the faces who filled every last pew and then some.
She left all of us who attended some thoughts.
What would I like to be remembered for today.
For my integrity,
My love of life,
My laugh
Please remember me with a smile and a kind thought.
My advice to each of you:
Carry on;
Love life;
Live it with joy;
Share it with the people you love.
Be generous -- especially with your time with family.
Love one another as God has loved you.
I think she left us with some sensible and wise words along with so many good memories, especially the laugh.
We also were able to see several beautiful examples of her talent for quilting.
It was a perfect service for a great friend to so many.
Helen loved to knit, often with friends.
Pastor Steve helped Methodist Pastor Catherine with the service. Helen would have given them high marks for their efforts.
It was wonderful visiting with Steve and his wife Elizabeth, both former students.
Pam (Helen's daughter) and my former English aide said we could take this picture, even though she was shedding a tear or two.
Joelle on the right is a Newton family friend, one of my former students and a longtime teacher at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane.
First home grown lettuce of the season. Nice and crunchy on our first grilled hamburgers of the season
We also enjoyed the first picking of asparagus. In its baked form, it's like eating candy.
🏇🏇🏇🏇🏇🏇
I was happy to see Journalism win in truly amazing fashion at yesterday's Preakness.
Just when it looked like he had met his demise when another horse almost pushed him over, Journalism turned on the accelerator, pulled out of the mess and crossed the finish line first.
A great win for a talented horse and an uplifting and symbolic message for journalists in general.
🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
Today marks 45 years since that day we saw the dark, ominous cloud coming. It had traveled all across Washington, dumping volcanic ash along its way.
There was plenty of ash left by the time it reached Idaho too. The aftermath: schools shut down and eventually closed for the summer.
So many memories of that time which, in the early stages, being isolated in our respective homes for about a week felt very much like what it might be like to have had a nuclear bomb explode.
The photo below was taken by my cousin Madeline's husband Doug Miller. At his home in Ephrata, Wash., he captured the extreme contrast of the volcanic cloud with a flowering crepe myrtle in the foreground.
Today is not only the anniversary of Mt. St. Helens, but it's a monumental one for Presbyterian Pastor Andy Kennaly.
He is retiring today.
Pastor Andy has been a positive force for many years in his role as minister of Bill's church here in Sandpoint.
We wish him well, as he begins a new chapter in his life.
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