Tonight was Confirmation and I stood with your girl Anna as she became an adult in the Catholic church. She took the name from Elizabeth Ann Seton because of her work in orphanages and Catholic schools; the saint lost her mother at age 3 you know.
It was such a huge honor to worship with your girls on either side of me and watch your widowed husband kneeling when prompted, unfamiliar with all the Catholic cadences and still devoted to your wish and his promise.
Our new Archbishop - Michael Jackels - (super cool, by the way) spoke to the confirmandi and challenged them in ways that make good parents smile. He told them a happy life was promised to them if they resisted selfishness; if they worked for the benefit of others. I thought of you, and your dedication to your family, to your friends, to your students, to those less fortunate.
For the benefit of others, we gathered tonight. And we celebrated our faith. And we talked of you.
Miss you.
xoxo Jen
I'm crying. This was really beautiful.
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