I think that I am nearly caught up with my "to do" list. At least, I am as caught up as I was last month. Now, it is time to catch up with my writing. At the last count, I had about fifty different items that I wanted to discuss:

Nearly a month ago, my step mom sent me a scrapbook containing old photos of my relatives on my dad's side of the family. I am very overdue in sending heart-felt thanks. It is nice to view some glimpses of my history.

The last few weeks have been a blur. Nevertheless, I think that I am finally catching up. On Tuesday of last week, Rachel and I attended Kenny's two viewings. While I knew that Ken and Pam had several relatives, I was surprised at the number of people who attended. For the second viewing, Rachel and I were greeting people for well over an hour. We were unable to see the end of the line as it went outside the building. Most of the people were friends, former coworkers, or people who had simply been touched by Kenny's life.

My father-in-law Kenny passed away yesterday afternoon. Below is a copy of his obituary from one of the local newspapers:

LORAIN -- Kenneth A. "Ken" Krafczinski, 49, of Lorain, died Sunday, May 1, 2005, at his home following a lengthy illness.

He was born Dec. 9, 1955, in Elyria. He was a lifelong resident of Lorain. He graduated from Southview High School in 1974.

He served in the United States Air Force from 1975 until 1980. He earned a Longevity Medal and a Good Conduct Medal.