Last week I alluded to another recent trip. This time it was to the beautiful Florida Keys. I’d never been and though the idea of flying down in the heat of July wouldn’t have been my first choice, there was a memorial service for a loved one. So, of course we bought the tickets and packed our carry-ons.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and immediately met up with another loved one who’d flown in from another state and landed minutes before we did. We drove together across the 7-mile bridge to gather with the rest of the party, thirteen in all. Even in that small intimate group not everyone knew each other, so shared stories of our deceased were part of the conversations around the pool and the dinner tables. As is usually the case with these gatherings, there was plenty of laughter and plenty of tears. We ate at some of his favorite restaurants and more than once were coincidently seated at tables where he and his husband had sat, when they were married there several years before. We felt his presence, heard his chuckle, and decided he was somehow orchestrating everything. On Sunday afternoon we assembled on the beach and with a touch of ritual, we said our goodbyes to someone we all loved and missed.

We also went to support the spouse left behind. The two men had been partners for 30 years or so, but only in the last several had they been allowed to legally marry. We’d been excited for them when the laws changed and they could finally officially and symbolically celebrate the love they’d carried all those years. We couldn’t imagine not being there with and for him during this official and symbolic releasing of his husband.

The Keys in July could not have been a more perfect place and time to do that.

Then yesterday my friend Sandi called, distraught, after a visit with another friend diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She’d known about and had seen her friend since the diagnosis, but this was the first time the slow diminishing was noticeable. The tipping point had passed between ‘before’ and ‘now’, and this once very independent, dignified, well-educated woman who’d commanded a room with her presence, was, in Sandi’s words, ‘small like an elf’ and becoming suspicious and forgetful. Sandi had taken over a tomato pie, a gift every year made from her garden-fresh tomatoes, and wasn’t expecting the fear at the realization her friend would put it in the oven and forget about it. Thankfully the friend’s sister was there to watch over the baking.

Sandi aches watching her friend in that twilight stage where she believes she’s still fine and capable (she lives alone), but everyone around her knows she’s not. During our phone call, Sandi was more upset for her friend, than about her. She’s also bracing for the loss of that friendship and feeling helpless. Later through text, she told me she’d offered to go over and sit every Monday to give the sister a break from having to check in on her.

Between phone call and text, Hubby and I attended the local community playhouse production of Into the Woods, Jr. the summer children’s production. We wouldn’t normally have gone, but our goddaughter was in it so we did. The show was well-done, but she was absolutely wonderful and hilarious and stole the scene whenever she was on stage. She’s only 10 years-old and this was her first time performing. Not a bit sorry we passed up a Sunday afternoon relaxing at home.

A friend, author Bren McClain who wrote One Good Mama Bone, (a wonderful book, by the way) posted this week about returning home to pay respects to her beloved cow, Mama Red, who passed away four years ago at the age of 28. Mama Red is buried on the family farm. Those of us who’ve lost a beloved pet understand.

Whether it’s spending time with Grands or friends, making little or big sacrifices throughout the day, or holding tight to what we believe in, we’re all involved in love in action. My ‘little hike’ and the current political environment remind me to not only be diligent about my own actions, but to also be aware of and appreciate those by others. By focusing on the real and ever-present examples of love in action, I keep a more positive attitude … and much less stress!

I’m also working on two projects–the saga of editing the novel continues–where a continuing thread is the choices we make out of love. How hard those decisions can be sometimes, and the unexpected consequences–good and bad–resulting from them.

What has love looked like for you this week?

I hope the rest of your week is great. I also hope for rain and cooler temps, but not sure that’s going to happen. Will let you know on Monday when I open the window again with Book Review Monday!