Until Later....

I'm finally back in town after what started as a wonderful week reuniting with my college friends and ended holding my mom as she passed away in a hospital bed.  I had no idea it was coming.  I'm still in shock. It's a surreal feeling that may never leave. That said, I did have the honor of writing the speech for the funeral and the privilege of watching my beautiful wife read it.


Thank you all for coming.  I speak for my entire family when I say we are honored by your presence.  Those of you who know my mom know she'd love having her family spending this time together.

When the call went out that my mom was in the hospital, 17 people dropped everything and showed up to support her.  These people traveled from 5 states and were made up of siblings, children, grand children, great grandchildren, nephews, and their loved ones.

How does one woman command such love and admiration?  She does it by living a life of selfless, unconditional love.  She does it by courageously moving forward when cancer stole her husband at a young age and left her responsible for her 4 children.  She does it by being the first person you'd call if you needed help and the first person  who'd call you if you had bad weather coming your way.  She does it by being a loving daughter, a caring sibling, and the kind of mother who talks to all 4 of her adult children every day.

In short, she does it by being a very special woman - soft-hearted enough to bring comfort to anyone, yet fiery enough to keep life interesting.  So, while we mourn the loss of her here today, keep in mind she is celebrating a Heavenly reunion with her husband, mother, brother, and a host of loved ones.  She lived life the way she wanted and battled until the end.  In honor of her, I ask that we hug each other a little tighter,  watch that sunset a little longer, and tell people we love them as often as possible.  That's the way my mom would have done it. 

Missing

It's been 9 days since I've posted. I haven't forgotten about the blog. I simply started the last week looking forward to a vacation I've been looking forward to for 2 years and ended it as the worst week of my life. I'll fill in the blanks in a few days. For now, I need a break.

Private Conversation

While Amelia and Everett were getting ready for bed, they had this "private", sweet conversation.


Amelia: I'm really scared about getting our flu shots.

Everett: Well, we don't have to get them tonight.

Amelia:  You're right.

Everett: Let's just play.

Amelia: I'm sorry I'm a mean big sister sometimes.  You're the best little brother in the world.


Hearing this makes me realize how big they're getting.  I can't believe my little man is old enough to give advice to his big sister....and she's mature enough to appreciate it.

Spectator Sport

Amelia's second soccer game went very similarly to her first....the wrong side of a beatdown. After attentively watching practice this week, here is how Everett felt about what he saw....

 ...He was so bored that he tried to bury himself alive.

Pals

Everett leaves little doubt when it comes to who his "best buddy" is.  I get pictures from his school every day and I literally cannot tell you the last time I saw one that didn't have the two of them together...

Winner

Tonight, I watched a recording of the Miss America pageant while Amelia and Meggan talked about the girls' dresses and talents.  I think the highlight of it for me was watching Amelia try to figure out who was winning and what was going to happen next.  She basically switched her pick each round depending on who seemed to be leading. Finally, just as I thought she was getting the hang of how the whole thing worked, she got excited when they announced the 4th runner up.  As the girl she thought was the winner was escorted off stage by a male usher in a suit, Amelia exclaimed "Did she win a husband?!?".  Oh, what a terrible prize that would be.

Full Support

I'm not 100% sure, but I think I may have stumbled onto part of the reason Amelia's soccer team got pummeled this weekend....



Here is the audience for the practice to our left....

Here is the audience for the practice on our right...

 Here is the audience for Amelia's team.... yep, me and Everett holding it down by ourselves again...