Saturday, November 26, 2011

The holiday season for our family gets harder every year. It seems like our family is somewhat jinxed when it comes to this time of the year. It all started when my mom passed away on Christmas Eve in 2005. Our beloved cat Usdi also passed away a few days before that. Since then we usually have some kind of trial right around this time of year.
Well, this year is no different. Tim's grandpa, Don Abbott,  passed away yesterday 11/25/11. He has been sick with Alzheimers and was recently diagnosed with throat cancer. He was 84. I know it was a sweet reunion for him to see his daughter again and his mom and many other loved ones. . He has been a pillar of strength in the lives of his family. A true family patriarch. We will certainly miss him. He was married to his sweetheart for 64 years. I can't imagine how hard this is for her.
I know that the holiday season is hard for a lot of people. I know we aren't alone when it comes to missing those that we love. It just makes it hard to feel any Christmas spirit. I don't want to dread the holidays but I do. I do my best to make it a special time of year for my son. I don't want him to feel the sadness.
Last year, Christmas was only 7 days after Tim's mom passed away and I think we were all kind of still in shock. I barely remember anything about it. This year, the loss will be felt even more I think.

This is a picture of Blake and Tim's grandpa this year on Halloween. That smile just says it all.


I don't think I can even begin to catch up on the months and months that I didn't blog. But for posterity's sake I want to note in my blog that we lost one incredible lady on December 18, 2010. Blake's grandma, Pamela Marie Buerke passed away. She had been sick for many years and her poor little body just couldn't take it anymore. It has been very hard learning to live without her in the last year. She was a HUGE part of our lives and we look forward to the day we will see her again.