Hi Everyone–
I always struggle getting back into my routine when I've been out of it for awhile.
But this is the week.
We're still working on stuff, but it's time.
For any of you who may be new to my blog, I took a leave of absence from all my things at the end of December to care for Todd's (my husband's) dad who went home from the hospital on hospice. Todd took a leave of absence from his job, too.
We were told to expect maybe 3 days to a week, and it was 3 1/2 weeks.
Originally, we thought we'd be working in "shifts" and having a hired caregiver overnight so we could have a break. But we chose to do it together–on our own. We worked well as a team and could grieve together through this emotional rollercoaster. We were extremely thankful for the Lord's strength and all that were praying for us–and for the support of everyone at Spectrum Health Hospice.
Dad passed away on Monday, January 25. We had a tiny little "service" for the 4 of my family that Thursday; Liz came back home again for a couple days. From that, we have a new/old sweet little memory….
After our time together, we went back to the condo, and Liz went through "all the things." I mean, we all did. But SHE went through ALL of them. Mom & Dad always put out seasonal decor, and until a few years ago, Dad still did it on his own, too. Not my thing. But Liz was all about it! She found the white fluffy "Santa Bear" from 1986 that Mom & Dad had given to Todd's grandma that Christmas and kept after she died. And Liz insisted that although SHE didn't wanna take it, we needed to keep it. So now I have to tell you a back story….
One Christmas when the kids were around 5 & 7, we were at Mom & Dad's to celebrate with them. But first–Todd, Dad, Tyler & Liz went out to play in the snow. They ended up exploring in the woods behind their house, and the pond back there was a frozen. Todd specifically told the kids to leave a skinny little dead tree alone or they might get hurt. So they scurried along with Grandpa, leaving Todd there by the tree. His thought: "Oh I can take this thing down no problem!" Turns out, not so much. Part of the tree broke off and came down and left a gash on his eyebrow. I ended up having to take him to the ER on Christmas Eve for stitches, leaving everyone else behind waiting for us.
Here's the new/old memory: Liz shared with us that she explained to the Santa Bear that "we can't open presents right now, because Dad had to go to the hospital." Haha. I love that so much! I'm sure the Santa Bear was patient and understanding, just like everyone else was. 🙂
Before I go, I'll share the supplies for my swap I showed at the top.
And just a reminder, FEBRUARY is the last month of Sale-a-Bration (SAB) this year!
(Actually, there's another 2-month SAB in July & August.)
But for NOW, you have 3 weeks left!
My host code this month for a free gift with a $60 online order is 7PBJHX7F.
And here's the direct link with it: http://www.stampinup.com?hostcode=7PBJHX7F
Here are supplies for another Snail Mail swap:
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Enjoy the rest of your day!!
haha. I just realized I named my post A Slow Start and featured a snail pic. 🙂
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