This is going to be a stream of consciousness post, and I apologize in advance for the rambling nature of it. Even though I am participating in the A to Z challenge this month, I'm recycling old posts. I went on vacation with John and youngest daughter for almost 2 weeks, and left the computer at home. I've been unplugged for the most part, and have enjoyed living in the moment, but have also felt detached from my online friends. So many thoughts are rattling around in my brain, from light-hearted vacation posts, to deeper, I-must-be-getting-old-because-everyone-is-dying posts. I want to have something significant and elegant to say, but my jet-lagged brain had to do a google search to come up with the phrase "stream of consciousness," so a polished post is not going to happen. I guess the gist of my thoughts is summed up in the statement by Dieter F. Uchtdorf: "We can choose to be grateful, no matter what." We know that death (and taxes, accor...