Remembered

Since the passing of my beloved mother and my dear sweet baby angel Nolan just 3 weeks apart, I haven't had the heart work on my blog. However, with the holidays upon us, what better time is there to recall to mind the wonderful experiences and time I've had with these two special people.

Mom lived a good long life, full of service to others, active devotion and participation in her Church and community, and always had a great love for her family. As the holidays soon approach, her absence will surely be missed by one and all. Mom is the one that taught me what holidays were about. We carved pumpkins every Halloween - and trick 'r treated under her watchful eye, sometimes in snow and cold that reached up to our hips (as kids we were kind of short lol).

Thanksgiving was always a time to gather with extended family and friends to eat great food. Mom was a great but modest cook, and Thanksgiving wouldn't have been complete without her Grandmother's hot punch. Mom always went the extra mile to make sure everything was perfect for her family.

Christmas was a magical time to me because of mom and dad. The entire month of December was a time for happy anticipation of the coming events. Dad always bought the perfect tree around the 10 th of December. And, if the tree wasn't perfectly shaped, he would drill holes in the trunk and stick extra branches into the tree until it truly was perfect. The tree then had to be soaked in a bucket of water so that it was sure to be fresh and not risk starting a fire. As a child this extra step seemed to test my patients to their limit. Somehow I survived waiting one more day until the beautiful tree could be brought in the house and decorated. That too was an activity that required the exact science of placing the light bulbs just so. One had to stand back and squint their eyes to make sure the lights covered the tree evenly from every angle! Next came hanging the colorful balls and ornaments (Karen and I were little and so we could only reach the bottom half of the tree). Mother watched patiently - reminding Dad that the tree was for the kids and to let us put the ornaments where we wanted. She always watched Karen and I decorate and tried to keep Dad from having a meltdown because his perfectly sculpted tree now had ornaments hanging only about 2 feet up the tree. Next came the tinsel which almost was more than Dad could take. Karen and I thought it great fun to throw tinsel on in great big globs, whereas he wanted each strange placed gingerly on each separate needle. He let us throw on a few strands and then we were sent off to bed. As Karen and I went to the living room to see the tree the next morning, we realized a miracle had truly happened during the night. The Christmas ornaments now covered the tree, evenly and beautifully all the way from top to bottom. The tinsel too had been carefully hung from each and every branch all around the tree which made it shimmer and reflect the color of the beautiful lights and ornaments. It truly would be the perfect tree!

To this day my children and husband think I'm truly insane when it comes to decorating a Christmas tree. I've carried on my dad's pattern of trying to create the perfect tree. The ornaments and lights have to be hung just so, but I now use an artificial tree which not only keeps me from burning down the house, but I don't have to drill the trunk and add branches lol!

I also remember my mother baking for a least a week before Christmas. She made cookies and candies for all the neighbors, friends and visitors. We always had 5 or 6 types of cookies spread out on the dining room table for anyone to enjoy that might stop in to say hi. She was truly a remarkable woman.

It wasn't the decorations, delicious food and presents that I remember making Christmas my favorite time of the year, it was the love of my parents and the spirit that existed in our home that made the holidays so special.

This will be the first Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas without Mom and I can only hope that I can honor her memory and attempt to create that same loving spirit with my family.

Our sweet baby Nolan was only on the earth for a few short months and we miss him terribly. A picture of his smiling face greets me each morning and reminds me that he lives and that I must do all I can to be with him again. He wasn't here on earth for very long, but he touched my heart so deeply and he will always be my grandson. I know he is in loving arms in heaven, perhaps with his grandparents that have gone on before, and he's just waiting and hoping that the rest of his family will join him in the celestial kingdom for time and all eternity. What a glorious day that will be when we are all together gain.

I love and miss you Mom and Nolan. Below is a picture of Robbie, Mom, Nolan and Claire taken about 2 weeks before Mom passed away on July 25, 2009. Nolan left us on August 13, 2o09. Somehow I think they are both watching out for all of us.