Some thoughts

It has been a long time. Along with the holidays approaching, we found out some sad news in our family a couple weeks ago. On Monday, Nov. 21, I received a call that my mom's husband, Bob, passed away unexpectedly. He was 56 years old. He and my mom were married for 8 years, so he wasn't around for my earlier years, but I still considered him a friend and I loved and cared about him, especially for who he was to my mom. He was a great man.

But instead of all the details of what the last 2 weeks have been like, I wanted to just put some of my thoughts down on "paper" about what I have learned. I guess foremost, I realized that family is what it's all about. That is why we are here. And when we leave this earth, relationships are among the only things we can take with us. So shouldn't we be spending most of our energy on improving those relationships and taking advantage of the time we have together? It's funny how we can get caught up with getting things done, or planning outings, etc. when usually, people just want us. I notice that with Reed. Sometimes I will plan these fun activities for him/field trips, etc. when all he really wants is me. Another thing that I thought about was how unfortunate it is if we don't express our feelings and love to those we care about. I learned a lot about Bob the past 2 weeks and there were a lot of people who cared about him. I do believe that Bob was able to hear the wonderful things said about him but, you know, it would have been nice to see his reaction. I have no regrets concerning Bob because I do believe he knew I cared about him, but maybe we need to start telling people in person, or even writing a letter or thank you note before they are gone. Of everything I want my kids to know and learn while I am raising them, I want them to know I love them. And Kevin for that matter too. I'm not sure I tell him enough. And the last thing I have been pondering is that death is a part of life. We all have to go through it. And I don't mean to lessen the grief and mourning that entail it, I am just grateful to know that death is not the end. I know that Bob is in a better place, that he is happy, and that he is healthy. What an awesome reunion it will be when we return to our Father in Heaven and our welcomed there by loved ones gone before. I know Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. I don't know why this happened or why it happened now, but I do know that if we can live by faith and continue on the path, we will be blessed.