I've been stewing over how to write this post for awhile. It's subject is so tender to a lot of people, and yet I simply can't not say something about it. Someday when I'm old and gray I'll look back on my life through this blog and remember the things that shaped me, and this is definitely one of them. My little niece, Olivia Mae passed away on July 22nd. She was born on the 20th of July. Two days of ups and downs and stress and joy were all we got with her and then she left us. I don't think the details of her birth and life are important to this post, but I wanted to just write a little about what she has taught me about grief and mourning. The sadness that came to me, an aunt who never got to even meet her, was completely overwhelming. I couldn't stop crying when I got the news. I cried like I haven't cried in a long, long time. Sobbed, really. For her and for my sister and her husband and for all my family and for the world. Death is just s...