There are times in your life when for one reason or another you are able to step outside the normal craziness and see things from a different angle. You know the times I'm speaking of you're out on the course first thing in the morning, everything is piercingly quiet, and the universe just feels right. Life becomes clearer and your priorities suddenly come into sharper focus. Last weekend was one of those times for me.

It started last Thursday, when we received the tragic news that my brothers father-in-law had passed away after a very brief bout with cancer. The news was very hard on my family and left our footing unstable, to say the least. But the beginning of our story is also the ending.

Friday brought us to a family wedding. The groom was a close cousin of my wife, Jill, the type of guy who seemed to have everything: great job, nice car, and that just right house. But until that point he was missing one key ingredient: a life partner.  

It could easily have been just another wedding, with ho-hum food, tired kids, and standard list of wedding tunes (if someone tells me to take that old record off the shelf one more time I might just go off somewhere by myself). But this wedding was different. The joy and happiness emanating from the wedding couple was completely infectious. Everyone at the celebration was feeling the vibe. Yeah, the tunes were the same old tunes, but the connection that these two lucky people share lifted everyone in attendance to a different place.

After being up way too late dancing Friday night (my nearly 40 year old superintendent bones don't do late nights like they used to), Saturday brought us to a family gathering. For the first time in a long while all of my siblings were together with all of my nieces and nephews in tow (there are eight grand kids, 3 are under the age of 1). It was crazy I mean pandemonium, in my parents house. There were kids running everywhere, playing, screaming, and just being kids. Through it all I just kept looking at my parents. I could tell that despite the sadness of the past few days (they were very good friends with the aforementioned father-in-law), they were truly reveling in the chaos.

Sunday and Monday saw us bid a sad farewell to a good friend and wonderful person. Martin Kelly was the kind of guy who people just wanted to be around. During the funeral eulogy the priest mentioned that Martin was a first class kind of guy. He defined class as, someone who sets others at ease. He was one of those people who never judged, always had a twinkle in his eye, and when you left his presence, you just felt better.

As I sat back late Monday after the funeral, I could not help but reflect on the weekend. There was one unmistakable unifying theme that ran through it all. It was simple, tangible, and right there for all to see. It was love. Plain and simple, right upside the head. Love.

The wedding was the beautiful beginning of a life of love for two people; my parents grandchildren were just love running free, and the funeral meant the end of a long marriage for another loving couple. I guess the weekend just proved that love has no beginning, middle, or end its always there, if only we have eyes to see.

We golf course superintendents do a job that takes a tremendous amount of dedication and sacrifice. The thing is, though, we don't bear this burden on our own. Our loved ones also bear the brunt of the long days and endless hours at the course. Our families toil right along with us, often times giving more than we have the right to ask for. So whether its it a night out, a family day, or even just a simple hug just make the effort. Trust me, it will be worth it.