Pausing for a while

A friend's dad died at the start of this year. this month, another friend's dad died.
to them, and to my brother who left us years ago but who we all still miss a lot, this prayer is offered:

Into your hands, O Lord,
we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters.
In this life you embraced them
with your tender love;
deliver them now from every evil
and bid them enter eternal rest.

The old order has passed away;
welcome them into paradise,
where there will be no sorrow,
no weeping nor pain,
but fullness of peace and joy
with your Son and
the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

Amen.

Happy birthday to me! [to the tune of Voltes V!]

I just turned 39. one more year and I’m joining those in the rank of the big four-O. i thought this occasion deserves a good facial, a massage, a schedule with the derma, an intense diamond peel----a head-to-toe pampering, anything to delay the onset of wrinkles on my perfect oval face [haha!] with its patrician features accentuated by an equally perfect nose [even more haha!] but nah, the only way to delay the appearance of age is to enjoy life more, to dream more, to laugh more:-)
to friends and relatives who just celebrated their birthdays like me, cheers! may we all live longer, happier. may people who do not like us grow a second nose. may those who pretend to like us but do not really care about us grow beards that reach the ground. nah, just kidding. happy birthday to us! hip hip hooray!
now back to work, sigh*