Blessed by the Memories we have...

My how the time can fly! Days after my last post, my dad was admitted to the hospital, by his oncologist, instead of getting his scheduled treatments. Long story short: a couple of weeks later (after hospital, nursing home for rehab with expectations to return home, hospital again, then pneumonia); dad unexpectedly passed away. God blessed our family and spared us untold months of agony/treatments/stress/etc and took my dad to a better place. He fought a good fight. With his short stint in the nursing home, I know my dad wouldn't have been a model patient - at 71, he thought it was just for old people. ICU doc said his body was failing him...guessing cancer treatments weren't helping.

I am thankful I got a flight west the day I received "the" call. Made another trip back in November for services in WA & OR.

In November, I sat down to make sympathy cards for my family members - dad would have liked that. As I am getting my life back on track, I find myself needing to make more - my step-grandfather passed away a couple of weeks ago. Aside from the one for my grandmother, they will be exactly like these (why not, different side of family - and they are already designed). Supplies: With Sympathy stamp set (and a swirl I can't find right now - could be retired),  Kraft, Brown, Ivory, Sydney kit, Scor-Pal, Crop-A-Dile, Hemingway ribbon & hardware, pop dots, scallop & round punches.

I truly know "we are blessed by the memories we have." My hope is that you take some time to make memories with your friends and family. We don't know how long we are able to be blessed to have them in our lives before we are only blessed by the memories we have.