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I know it's been a while since my last post but it's been busier than usual in the Squirrel household. DH has started his own consulting business and I'm the unofficial secretary. I can't complain, even with no salary the benefits are great!

I've also had some minor, but annoying, health issues which are taking several weeks to diagnosis and treat. At this point I'd like to say that I would rather be a man right now. The ladies understand what I mean by this.

Moving on.

I had a great conversation several days ago where my friend Barbara revealed to another friend Laura, during a friendly conversation, that I'm an atheist. It was a surreal moment because Barbara defended my position. It was a moment where Laura seemed truly concerned for my soul, almost to the point of saying "Surely you must be mistaken" when my defender said, "Wait, Summer has decided to take a scientific view on this and based on her exhaustive research she has decided to come to this conclusion." Laura backed off, steely blue eyes focused on me, then smiled and said that she respected that, but wanted me to answer some questions. She asked some thoughtful questions which I thoughtfully answered. At the end of the conversation she gave me a huge hug and told me how much she loved me.

The reason this came up was Laura was sharing the experience of her mother's death. First thing, her family is Catholic. Her mother was found in a position that was impossible for her since she was almost immobile. It was a praying position so it looked miraculous. She wanted my explanation of this event.

This was very simple to explain. I told her that obviously her mother's faith was important to her. She felt, at the moment of her death, that being in that position was a huge tribute to her faith and that nothing would keep her from it. We've all heard of people doing extraordinary things under extraordinary circumstances and I felt this best explained the situation. I was careful to admit that I wasn't sure since I didn't know anything except was Laura told me. I also said that considering an explanation that didn't involve a supernatural event spoke volumes about how important her mother's faith was to her and that in itself should be the comforting factor. To my surprise Laura agreed that my explanation was a possibility and that she wasn't offended.

Barbara later told me that Laura said I was one of her favorite people. The feeling is mutual. Funny thing respect.