Dance like no one is watching.

Last Monday we lost a dear neighbor of ours.  It was so completely unexpected.  Sunday afternoon she drove up to the front of the house and yelled at us from the car.  This was our "thing". She had knee surgery early this year and hardly ever left the car to talk with us.  So she sat in her car and we on the front porch and carried on a loud conversation.  She was headed to have a burger with a friend.  She commented on how beautiful and big the girls were getting and how great my flowers look in the front yard and so on.  Marci was one of the best neighbors we have ever had.  She has only lived in the home near ours for about 18mths, but I was bound and determined to be a darn good neighbor to her.  Well she was a better neighbor than I had planned on her to be.  I am so thankful to have been blessed with her short friendship.  She would leave us snacks at our front door on a regular occasion after a visit to the grocery store, and would call once or twice a week to check in.  Marci was a hoot.  As a young person she had a brain tumor removed, well as we like to think, it also removed her "filter".  She was a running commentary of whatever crossed her field of vision.  She was great and as the priest said at her funeral, "We shall never forget her colorful language".  

We were in the mist of a meeting Monday evening and noticed lights outside our house and I ran out the front door with Eden on my hip.  About the time I got to her yard, I heard the police break open the door and the mourning cries from her sister.  Oh what pain and heartache.  My world began to run at a snails pace at that moment.  This couldn't be happening...we had just chatted last night...she was fine...oh her laugh.  I can still hear it and as I sat in the quiet little chapel on Friday during her service I could feel her presence and hear her laugh.  Thank you Marci for being a better neighbor than I could have imagined myself to be, thank you for your laugh, and thank you for your colorful language.

I have hugged my kiddos a little tighter, and held my husband's embrace a little longer this week and realized that it is time to dance like no one is watching.