A Happy Eid

Today was Eid'l Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the fast of Ramadan. I knew it would be great this year because my son and his wife are here with their little daughter. This was her first Eid.

I won't go into details but we had a wonderful day--the kind of family time I often crave. Not everything went according to plan, but it was one of my best Eids ever--and I've had 26 years of them.

In the evening, as things were winding down, I turned on my laptop and read the news. More than forty Iraqis died today. There were other deaths too--solitary cases of grief.

It may sound strange, but even in the midst of joy it's good to remember that this life is fleeting.