I just returned home from four days in Oregon/Washington. The main goal of the trip was to spend time with my newly widowed sister. Seven months have passed since my brother-in-law was killed, and the cards and letters have mostly stopped arriving, replaced by bills and notifications and requests for more paperwork. Mountains of paperwork.

The Pacific Northwest is beautiful in the spring. Portland has pink dogwoods blooming everywhere. And Mount St. Helens and Mt. Hood looked dressed up in ermine with their fresh coverings of snow. Everywhere, everywhere tulips and red buds and rhododendrons in sight.

On Saturday after I arrived, we placed fresh flowers at the grave site. Then we drove down to have dinner with my parents. My mom made salmon like only she can cook it. And I got to see photos of my 89-year-old father's recent Rotary trip to Thailand.

Sunday morning after early church with my sister's family, one of my brothers drove me up the Columbia River Gorge to Multnomah Falls. We sat looking up at the waterfall as we savored a big brunch (Multnomah Falls Lodge is famous for their brunch) that included more salmon, mussels, eggs benedict, marionberry cobbler, and other regional bests. His significant other joined us up there.

On Monday my sis and a family friend took a short hike through the woods to get some fresh air. And on Tuesday my niester (niece-like-a-sister) drove me to breakfast at Cricket Cafe and then to the airport. Portland is a serious foodie town. Bring it on!

In between chats with family members, I did what I could to help my sis, but much of it only she can do. So I folded some clothes, made some food, unloaded some dishwashers, and spent time with the niece and nephews. Sure wish I could do more. Do you ever wish you could half somebody's burden with them and help them carry it? Me, too...