Naomi Rose Coffin: two years today

Today is the second anniversary of Naomi's birth into eternal life. She joined us on the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, September 14, 2006, and left us on September 29, 2006, the Feast of the Archangels.

This morning, after dropping Mariclare off at her new school, St. Monica Academy in Pasadena, I stopped off at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery and paid a visit to Naomi's grave. I said a few prayers, sang a couple of songs to her, and sat down on the dew-kissed grass.

Then I had a very good cry. Some cries don't quite get off the ground, you know what I mean? You end up with a half-satisfied spirit and some mucus issues. Others are full bore releases, and you can literally feel your heart aching, stinging, pining. And the tears and sobs are wrenched from you. That was me today. Another layer of the grief onion peeling away. The thing is, I don't mind the grief. In a strange way, the grief feelings keep me connected with her. Part of me wants them to remain fresh, although it's painful, because the sorrow is shot through with joy.

There's gotta be a country song about this emotional state.

I know she's with the Lord, I do have immense peace about how exquisitely prepared she was to meet her Bridgegroom, and I rely on her prayers most every day. But I still miss her badly.

St. Naomi, ora pro nobis.