Today has been an emotional day for me. Today March 17th, St. Patrick's Day will forever be a day of reflection and remembrance for a loved one in our family. Dan's Grandma recently past away and her birthday was on St. Patrick's Day. I love how she embraced the fact that her birthday was on this day. So much so that her nickname was Pat. I only had the privilege of knowing this great woman for a short part of her life. She had and continues to have a great impact on those that were around her. When I think of her I think of how I want to be more like her. She had a great love for her family, and all those that were in her life. She reminds me daily of what a wife and mother can look like. God puts people in our lifes for a reason, and she taught me so much. I don't think she knew what kind of impact that she had on me.

I remember traveling to Ogallala for the first time to meet Dan's family, and I remember the love that met me at the door the day I walked into Dan's grandparents home. I pray that someday I may have the same kind of impact on someone else.

Here she is when my youngest Noah was a baby.  He is now almost 6 and I can't help but wonder what she would have though about my girls.  Sometimes I think she might be a bit shocked at first, I can almost see her eyes getting really big.  But I know she would have lovingly embraced Bella and Gracie as part of our family.  It is so hard to think about the fact that she won't be able too.