This weekend found us attending the 26th annual Be Happy Chili and Wing Cook-Off at Loyd Park. We signed on as judges of the chili competition, which meant gathering with 30 other judges at mid-afternoon on Saturday to sample 11 entries. We were somewhat surprised at how they tasted more alike than distinctive. Another surprise: It seemed like every entry had beef and no beans.

We skipped the wings competition on Friday, opting instead to enjoy Date Night at Cloud 9. Likewise, we opted to stay put and enjoy Chef Cliff’s concoction rather than enter the Bloody Mary Contest on Saturday morning. One event we couldn’t miss was the Golf Cart Parade, which commenced at 4:30 on Saturday afternoon. Participants tossed tons of St. Patrick’s Day beads and accessories amid a sea of green T-shirts and hats, making for a “block party” atmosphere throughout the camping loop.

It wasn’t lost on us that the last time we participated in a procession, albeit a far more somber one, was when we escorted the body of Jon’s mom out of the nursing home where she had received hospice care. It is now two months since she died, and we still find ourselves talking about her periodically, referencing our many memories of meaningful moments.

That solemn procession in the early morning hours of January 13 involved Natalie, from Kurrus Funeral Home, who had arrived to transfer her body to the gurney, and Jon’s sister, Jayme. When the time came to leave room 513, Natalie guided the gurney into the hall. As we processed along the route, nurses and CNAs looked on, in somber respect, as yet another patient passed from their care to an awaiting hearse. We walked at a slow, reverent pace, knowing this would be her final rite of passage.

In a couple days there would be a funeral Mass at the her old Catholic parish in Belleville, with only a handful of friends and loved ones to invoke God’s blessing and protection before her last procession to the snow-covered cemetery where she would finally be laid to rest.

It was all a fitting tribute to one whose own life journey was defined by struggle and sadness, love and loss, determination and defiance. She loved a good party, and she knew how to work a crowd. We think she would have been delighted to participate in our little St. Patrick’s Day weekend.