Change

Change is a funny thing. It happens all the time to all of us. Like the cliche' says, it's one of the only constants in life. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not so good. Sometimes, it's difficult to see how there could be any good during a particularly hard change. My family and I experienced a change, recently. It's the reason I haven't posted in a couple weeks.

I actually just got back from Minnesota. I'd like to say that the trip to the land of my birth was just for fun, but no. My grandmother passed away on August 27th, so I went home to be with family and help my mom a bit with all the arrangements.

Changes like this are inevitable, expected even. But it's never easy. What I tried to take away from this sorrowful event was the time I was able to spend with family members I hadn't seen in a long, long time. In fact, I think I got to see almost all of my extended family...I just wish it was under happier circumstances. So, in a way, aspects of this very unhappy change were filled with joy. The joy of coming together as a family to celebrate the life of one of the most amazing women I've ever known. The joy of spending a few short days laughing together, crying together, and strengthening the bonds that hold us together.

I promised some folks that I would post my cousin's eulogy on here, so you can look for that in the next couple of days. I think that it deserves a post of its own.

But for now, I did want to share some news that also relates to change. The kind of change that brings hope to myself and millions of others around the country and around the world. And it all has to do with two men, one of which we got to see today.

Guess who? I'll give you a hint. We weren't the only ones who showed up to see this person.

There were also these people.

And this guy. But he looks too friendly to make that hint useful, so here's another one of a different one of these guys.

Notice the glare he's giving me? Guess he either didn't like getting his picture taken or I just looked suspicious. Still can't figure it out?

One of these was hanging on the wall, too.

No, I didn't get to see the big cheese, himself (although if he ever comes to within a three hour drive of us, you can be darn tootin' that we WILL see him). But we did see the next best thing:

The next Vice President of the United States: Senator Joe Biden!

Yeah, he totally rocked. Said all the right things. Got the crowd jumping and cheering. He really is quite an incredible orator. All off the cuff, too. No teleprompters, no notes. Although he did comment at one point that he felt bad that his staff had prepared such a nice speech for him to give and he'd ignored it for the first 45 minutes.

Both of us were very impressed. Although, I suppose I should admit that there wasn't any doubt we would be. We weren't a very unbiased audience. But neither was anyone else, which made it even funner!