Giving Thanks: Doves

As some of you know, 3 months ago my father passed away suddenly of a heart attack on his 60th birthday.  I had just had a baby 5 weeks before.  3 weeks before that my husband had to leave for 3 months for work.  It was a lot of stress and big life changes in short succession...all within a month about.  After all of this I held it together pretty well.  But as it all sunk in, it began to take it's toll and I started to become ill.  I'm ok now, thanks to family and friends who have been there for me.

It's been a very difficult 3 months.

I wanted to take the opportunity to publicly thank all of the people who have lent me so much support through these last few months.  People have sent me flowers, taken my kids for play dates, made me dinner, sent me gifts....it's really been amazing.  What touched me the most were the things sent to me from people I don't even know that well.  I think I received cards, gifts, sweets, books, baby things just about every day for a month.  In fact it's been so overwhelming that I haven't even had the time to keep up with it and thank everyone properly.  I WILL get to that.  I mean it.

I just want you to know that each card, book, gift, box of hand made cookies.....each one made me cry.  Not in the bad way, but in the way that I was so grateful.  I felt so loved it couldn't be helped.  I just wept every day for a month...and happy tears for a change.  To think that you would go through the trouble to do something so nice for someone you may not have ever met in person.... it meant something to me.

I also want to thank everyone who left comments of comfort on the blog.  It was good to hear so much positive from so many.  There are some of you who have gone through similar experiences and for a while there, when it was really important, I didn't feel so alone.

I'm going to post a tutorial or two pretty soon.  I'm edging my way back into work and daily life.  Sorry for the hermiting.  I hermit.  But I'll be back.

Thank you for your patience.  And thank you for reading.

My Father

So I am going to tell you right now, I have been avoiding writing this post because it still hurts so much, but I need to.

The month of April was pretty rough for me.  New baby, husband out of town, no sleep, 4 year old...the usual.  So I thought it would be really nice to go home and see my family in Texas the first weekend in May.  See, it was my dad's 60th birthday that Saturday.  My sister and her new fiance were coming into town especially for the occasion...the whole family was going to be there.  So I put myself and the kids on a plane and headed to Texas.  

The weekend started like any other at home.  Hugs to the parents, Dad cooked dinner for us (something he loved to do.  Dad used to be in the restaurant biz.  My passion for food stems from him), watched some TV, cooed over the baby...just spent time with family.  That's how we do it.  We just enjoy each other's company.  

That Saturday was the big day, my dad's birthday.  I didn't see my dad that morning....I was sleeping in...long night of feeding baby.  He was going to work that morning, "just for a little bit", so he told my sister when they passed in the hallway.  We went about our morning, getting ready for the birthday party later that night.  I was all excited to make him my very special chocolate cake.

We were ready to go and started heading to the car.  Now my parents have a driveway that accommodated one car wide so all our cars are out front are lined up like ducks.  If one person wants to go somewhere we have a circus act of car moving. Takes coordination.  Dad's car was still there.  He was supposed to be at work half an hour ago.

And that's about when my life changed forever.  When all our lives did.  

Dad suffered a major cardiac arrest.  When we found him upstairs, he had already gone.

JR Barnes

1953-2013

Tutorial: Blue Butterflies

I received an email from a family friend last week with an interesting story:

After the tornado, I was following the Humane Society adopt-a-thon on Facebook.  There was a senior dog with health issues that kept getting passed by.  The Humane Society posted his picture and a large group of people were following the picture to see if someone would adopt him.  Finally, a woman named Wendy posted "I'm on my way".  Everyone went insane and was so excited.  The Executive Director of the Humane Society met Wendy at the gate and Wendy and her husband Rick adopted Max.  They in turn set up a Facebook page called Max's Miracles Page and a core group of people followed Max and donated to his care and upkeep.  Unfortunately, Max passed away in August.  A group of seven women that followed Max, Wendy and Rick got together and gave Wendy and Rick gifts from ashes I was able to get from Max's Vet.  We called ourselves Max's Aunties.  Shortly after Max passed, Wendy and Rick had an even more horrible tragedy ... Wendy's 23 year old son died in his sleep.  The group of aunties supported Wendy and Rick and have been there for them trying to help them through this horrible period.

The Aunties are from all over:  Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kansas City, North Carolina, Louisiana and three from Joplin.  Most of us have not met.  Next Sunday, this group will all be together for the first time here at my house.

I just thought this was so touching I just HAD to make cookies for her.