if love were enough

I had a wonderful dream about my Papa two nights ago...the dreams are always the same.  We meet in this other world between sleep and waking, heaven and earth and just hug, kiss, catch up and express our 'i love yous.'  Each dream keeps me yearning for the next one.
I saw this post on the blog I follow "500 Prudent Pieces of Advice for my Baby Daughter." (It's fantastic advice, peppered with modern art and poetry.) I don't mean to be morbid, but I'm feeling sentimental and sure do miss my Papa.  His smile, his laugh, the smell of his head (sounds silly, but it was the perfect mix of Old Spice and 'old man' :), his unwavering dedication to our family, his love for Matt and me....how he'd scream and swear at Grams for cheating at cards, his neverending energy when it came to playing with or teaching us, his gift for music and storytelling.   He definitely made me who I am today.  Miss you, Pops!

#221 If love were enough, no one would ever die.

Yet death is inevitable. Mourning invites magical thinking; you may wonder what you might have done differently to alter what has happened, whether a person would still be alive if you had only loved better or more. Your love can’t keep death at bay, my daughter. But it can comfort you. There is nothing more I can say about grieving; you just grieve.