James C. Laurence (9/17/1909-7/25/2007)

My dad called last night around 9:45 to let me know that his father, my grandfather, had passed away. While I think we'd all expected that his journey would come to an end sooner rather than later, and while I think each member of my family had tried to prepare for this in his or her own way, the finality is still stark.

Mina and I are heading back to Cleveland today to help out with whatever we can. While there isn't a great deal to actually "do", It feels to me like going home is the right thing to do. More than anything, I suppose, in these times it is best to be around family.