Celebrate This Week: Sadness and Beauty

                               Join us each weekend for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres. 

                                                         When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

 

A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember.

It's a tough week to find the celebrations.

But I'll search amid the sadness to find the good.  

We said goodbye to a member of our congregation who left us too soon.  I celebrate the time I had with his brother, Rowland, who told me stories of our friend, Daniel.   And the chance to meet other members of Daniel's family.  And the helping hands who made the family meal after the funeral a beautiful opportunity for friends and family to be together.

I was saddened by the too soon death of Gwen Ifill.  It's amazing how those who sit in our homes and share the news with us often feel like members of our own families.  I've missed Gwen on PBS Newshour and knew that something was amiss.  So many tributes paid to her this week.   My sad heart was lifted to see beautiful pics and hear tributes this week from her friends and colleagues.

Check out this column from colleague, Mike Melia: 

The cosmic power of Gwen Ifill.

I captured this fall pic last Saturday after my visit

to the Seattle temple.  A typical gray NW day!  

With days like this, you can see why I grabbed a friend and headed to Slater Park for some sun and a sunset walk on Thursday.

I finally joined my husband at an early morning fitness class this month.  As I celebrated my fifth day of attending on Friday, we were greeted with this beautiful sunrise on the way to class. 

I love fall.

 I celebrate this season of color and now almost bare trees 

which are beautiful in their own way too!  

Blessings to each of you as we enter this week

of Thanksgiving and gratitude!  

And gratitude to our dear friend,

Ruth, who brings us together each Saturday.