Life is Precious

I recently came across a family's blog whose story has really touched me. You can visit their blog to read the full story: The Whitt Family

The short story is that their 2 year old daughter, named Tuesday, just passed away yesterday, after a short battle with cancer. Tuesday is survived by her twin sister, brothers, and parents. This is just so very touching and really reminds me how precious life is and how tragedy can strike anybody at anytime. While I am still grieving the recent loss of my father, I just could not even begin to imagine the pain of mourning the loss of a young child, let alone my own. It has really made me think about really reaching out and doing anything I can to help this family while they grieve. It also has made me realize that I need to cherish every moment I possibly can with Isabella. We need to cherish life and do our best to honor our families and not take things for granted.

It turns out this family lives very close to us and they have sent out an open invitation to Tuesday's Celebration of Life service next Saturday. I am planning on going, and if you live in the area, I encourage you to go as well. For now, we are praying for God's comfort and for Him to give the Whitt family strength to get through each day.

Only in Colorado

Last week while I was walking in the parking lot of WalMart towards the store a truck drove past me and I jumped about 2 feet away and my heart was pounding because this is what I saw in the back of the truck:It looked alive, the taxidermist did such a good job. The mountain lion was amidst some other random items including a couple of chairs, a t.v. stand, and a plant all part of a move across town, I assume. At first glance, I seriously thought that thing was alive!! Only in Colorado!

Dinosaur Poop and More Fun Things

Isbella has blossomed, right before our very eyes, into a little girl. She is not a toddler anymore, she's a sweet little girl, but she really prefers to be called a big girl. She continues to amaze us everyday with the things she says, the stories she can tell, her love of reading, her creativity, her compassion and understanding, her love of a "bright, sunny morning" and her overall joyful love and exuberance for life. She's been teaching us how to live life!

Today, we had planned on going to the zoo since it was a free admission day, the weather forecast said 60 Degrees and sunny, and because I wanted to do something special with Bella since the last few weeks I've been a bit of a downer. That plan got vetoed after driving around looking for a parking spot for 20 minutes that was not a mile away from the zoo. I was trying to come up with an alternative plan to offer to Bella (she was so excited about seeing the animals at the zoo), then I found a parking spot right in the front row of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. When Bella saw the sign (without me even saying one word) she said excitedly, "Yeah, the museum. Please may I see the dinosaurs?" Problem solved. Although it wasn't a free day at the museum, it was so worth the $11 to avoid the over-crowded zoo. We had a great time and Isabella was very appreciative for our special outing and time together. It lifted my spirit today too, especially when Bella asked one of the museum volunteers, "Please may I touch the dinosaur poop?" That's my girl! I appreciate how well-rounded she is!

Isabella, my sweet little lady, cautiously holding the dinosaur poop. I was surprised how small it was considering that it came from a ginormous dinosaur, but then the museum guy explained about their low-fiber diet.

That is not the dinosaur that the poop came from, he was much bigger and suspended from the ceiling.

Bella loves the "Discovery Area" in the museum which is all hands-on stuff.

So much fun!!

Why I haven't blogged lately. . .

My dad had a bad fall down the stairs just before Thanksgiving. He then went through two surgeries, totaling almost 20 hours, to try to repair the broken vertebrae(s) in his neck. He was in the ICU for a several weeks. We went out to CA to see him a week before Christmas and although it was very difficult seeing him like that, I am very thankful that we had that time with him. He began to gain more alertness each day we went to see him, he even smiled when I showed him Bella's picture and laughed at one of David's jokes, which gave us hope for his recovery. On Christmas eve, his blood pressure was very low. He developed an infection in his blood and went to be with the Lord on Saturday, Dec. 27th.

David and Bella stayed home while I went to CA for my dad's funeral. It was a good decision, for it gave me time to grieve without worrying and also allowed me to be with my mom and sisters. While it was a very difficult thing to go through, it was also a time of grieving and healing. My first night there in CA when I was in my parents' bathroom brushing my teeth, I opened one of my dad's drawers to see his black comb with his gray hairs still in it, then everywhere I looked around the house there were big and little things that were his, from his issues of Popular Mechanics magazine to his "Pick Sticks", his bird feeders in the yard, his #1 Dad mug on the water cooler in the garage...I cried, then laughed about his makeshift paintbrush attached to a broomstick for hard to reach paint jobs, then cried some more. I'm glad I had the last few years to really experience a good father-daughter relationship with him and I will forever cherish my memories of him walking me down the aisle on our wedding day, him going with us to one of my ultrasounds while I was still pregnant, him holding Isabella and seeing his tears just after she was born, our hour long phone conversations about the birds in his yard, the weather, and his health, him waving goodbye and smiling to David, Bella and I from the driveway the last time we saw him before he fell down...

It was a beautiful funeral service. My nieces and nephews did a great job with the readings, carrying up various mementos of Dad, and sharing stories of him. He was a volunteer firefighter for 20 years, so there was a small fire truck outside the church during the whole service, which then followed behind the hearse with it's lights on all the way to the cemetery. As we drove behind the firetruck I told my mom and sister that my dad had driven firetrucks many times before up and down Redhill Avenue, the street we were on. He also used to tell us stories of when he drove a tractor up that street when it was all still farmland. After the burial service at the cemetery, the firetruck turned on it's sirens as it drove past my dad's grave site. We all said that my dad is up in Heaven smiling down saying, "Well Done!" All of the grandchildren and daughters also got to hold white doves and release them at the grave, as a symbol of my dad's love of birds and a way of "letting go". It was so amazing to see how many people were there for us that day, my dad would have been so happy. The police had to call an extra motorcycle cop for the escort, there were over 60 cars for the procession. My dad was well-loved and he would have done anything for anyone.

This has been a very difficult time in my life, something I hoped I wouldn't have to face for many more years. I am so blessed to have a wonderful, God-loving, supportive husband to help carry me through this. Even though it's been a few weeks now, I am still feeling emotionally drained and exhausted at the end of each day and fulfilling all of my household tasks has been much harder since my mind is in a million places at once. David has been so wonderful in helping me with Bella and being happy to eat fast food for dinner more often than normally. I guess that's why they call it a grieving process, it doesn't just happen one day and you're better the next. It's something you really go through and process, with the grace of God.

Thank you everyone, for your thoughts, prayers, cards, for coming to support us all at the funeral, and for everything else you've done for us during this time. Right now, we are comforted knowing that my dad is free of pain and dancing around in heaven.