I know, I know, I am up somewhat early writing a blog, lol, but my darling husband had to go to work early this morning, so I decided, since I was up, to write what was on my heart. It is 10 more days to Thanksgiving, counting today. On our facebook, my husband and I have been listing every day, what we are thankful for. The reason we decided to do this is we don't want to let Thanksgiving slip by without realizing what all we have to be thankful for!
Now I absolutly LOVE Christmas time!! It is my FAVORITE time of year!!!!! But it seems like every year Thanksgiving gets pushed to the backburner, kind of in the corner, where it still is there....but it's not as important as Christmas. Well, this year is a little different for me...This time last year, we were planning a trip to Alabama....a trip that would impact our lives more than we ever knew.... My mother's health had not been good for quite some time, and since our family lives in separate states, we had to get our schedules together to be able to all go to my Mom and Dad's at the same time. But we had talked, and my Mother and Daddy wanted us all to be there for Thanksgiving, even if it meant we couldn't go back for Christmas, but it's almost like mother and daddy just had a feeling that she might not be there for Christmas. Of course none of us wanted to believe that or even think about it. We headed out to Alabama for Thanksgiving and we made it into a Thanksgiving and Christmas. We knew we had to do it that way because we were not going to be able to go back for Christmas. We had a wonderful time!! We were all there, we cooked a wonderful dinner, then gathered in the living room and got out the guitar and the keyboard, and we began to sing songs. My mother sang a song and what a blessing it was! We all joined in and just had a wonderful time together. We prayed that night before we went to bed, then of course us kids went in another room and talked almost all night. The next morning, I went in Mother's bedroom. She was lying in the bed, because it was hard for her to get up, and I went in and lay down beside her on the bed, while the family was getting dressed, because we were all leaving that morning, and I lay there and talked to her and she talked to me, and I will never forget that morning, and that conversation with her, it is still so precious to me (and I'm crying now just thinking back about that day). When we all left, we never knew that would be our last Thanksgiving with her. The next day, after we left, Mother took a turn for the worse, and Daddy had to take her to the hospital. She wasn't talking to anyone. Then a couple of nights later, Daddy was on the phone with me and Mother suddenly asked him who he was talking to. He was surprised to hear her speak! He let her talk to me on the phone. She told me how much she loved me and missed me. I will never forget our conversation. Daddy then called my brother and she talked to him. After that....she never spoke again..... That weekend, just a week after we had enjoyed such a wonderful Thanksgiving with her and my daddy, we all went back to Alabama. We were there for a couple of days with her again, talking to her, her only response was looking at us and occasionally a grunt, but we sang to her, loved her, and on Dec 6th, she went to be with the Lord......... She didn't make for Christmas.....
This year, this month, seems like every day, I relive that in my mind...Thanksgiving last year..... and now Thanksgiving this year has more meaning than ever.... Why? Because I'm so thankful God gave our family one more good Thanksgiving, all together, with my mother. I'm thankful that we have a close family. I'm thankful that I still have my Daddy with me. I'm thankful that I had such a wonderful Mother. I'm thankful that I know I will see her again someday, as long as I live for God and stay ready to go. I'm thankful for a wonderful husband that stood by my side through all the pain of losing my Mother. I'm thankful that my Daddy has continued his ministry in preaching and singing for the Lord. I'm thankful that God gave me a renewed love for Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for the precious memories I have of my Mother. I'm thankful for my family, and I cherish them even more now than ever!
Thanksgiving has a new place in our home.... and as much as I love Christmas, I will celebrate Thanksgiving first.....then Thanksgiving evening....my tree will go up....and new, somewhat painful, memories will flood my heart , because I will be reminded once again, that it was a sad Christmas last year because we lost her in Dec....the month of Christmas. But yet, I will celebrate Christmas with her in my heart, because she LOVED Christmas, the joy of it, the decorations...the beauty of it, and she always decorated so pretty, and she loved that time of year. So I will have her in my heart...and I'm thankful for that.
Be thankful this year for everything you have, everyone you have with you, let's be thankful.... Celebrate Thanksgiving with joy in your heart! God bless all of you...... ~Renee
Now I absolutly LOVE Christmas time!! It is my FAVORITE time of year!!!!! But it seems like every year Thanksgiving gets pushed to the backburner, kind of in the corner, where it still is there....but it's not as important as Christmas. Well, this year is a little different for me...This time last year, we were planning a trip to Alabama....a trip that would impact our lives more than we ever knew.... My mother's health had not been good for quite some time, and since our family lives in separate states, we had to get our schedules together to be able to all go to my Mom and Dad's at the same time. But we had talked, and my Mother and Daddy wanted us all to be there for Thanksgiving, even if it meant we couldn't go back for Christmas, but it's almost like mother and daddy just had a feeling that she might not be there for Christmas. Of course none of us wanted to believe that or even think about it. We headed out to Alabama for Thanksgiving and we made it into a Thanksgiving and Christmas. We knew we had to do it that way because we were not going to be able to go back for Christmas. We had a wonderful time!! We were all there, we cooked a wonderful dinner, then gathered in the living room and got out the guitar and the keyboard, and we began to sing songs. My mother sang a song and what a blessing it was! We all joined in and just had a wonderful time together. We prayed that night before we went to bed, then of course us kids went in another room and talked almost all night. The next morning, I went in Mother's bedroom. She was lying in the bed, because it was hard for her to get up, and I went in and lay down beside her on the bed, while the family was getting dressed, because we were all leaving that morning, and I lay there and talked to her and she talked to me, and I will never forget that morning, and that conversation with her, it is still so precious to me (and I'm crying now just thinking back about that day). When we all left, we never knew that would be our last Thanksgiving with her. The next day, after we left, Mother took a turn for the worse, and Daddy had to take her to the hospital. She wasn't talking to anyone. Then a couple of nights later, Daddy was on the phone with me and Mother suddenly asked him who he was talking to. He was surprised to hear her speak! He let her talk to me on the phone. She told me how much she loved me and missed me. I will never forget our conversation. Daddy then called my brother and she talked to him. After that....she never spoke again..... That weekend, just a week after we had enjoyed such a wonderful Thanksgiving with her and my daddy, we all went back to Alabama. We were there for a couple of days with her again, talking to her, her only response was looking at us and occasionally a grunt, but we sang to her, loved her, and on Dec 6th, she went to be with the Lord......... She didn't make for Christmas.....
This year, this month, seems like every day, I relive that in my mind...Thanksgiving last year..... and now Thanksgiving this year has more meaning than ever.... Why? Because I'm so thankful God gave our family one more good Thanksgiving, all together, with my mother. I'm thankful that we have a close family. I'm thankful that I still have my Daddy with me. I'm thankful that I had such a wonderful Mother. I'm thankful that I know I will see her again someday, as long as I live for God and stay ready to go. I'm thankful for a wonderful husband that stood by my side through all the pain of losing my Mother. I'm thankful that my Daddy has continued his ministry in preaching and singing for the Lord. I'm thankful that God gave me a renewed love for Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for the precious memories I have of my Mother. I'm thankful for my family, and I cherish them even more now than ever!
Thanksgiving has a new place in our home.... and as much as I love Christmas, I will celebrate Thanksgiving first.....then Thanksgiving evening....my tree will go up....and new, somewhat painful, memories will flood my heart , because I will be reminded once again, that it was a sad Christmas last year because we lost her in Dec....the month of Christmas. But yet, I will celebrate Christmas with her in my heart, because she LOVED Christmas, the joy of it, the decorations...the beauty of it, and she always decorated so pretty, and she loved that time of year. So I will have her in my heart...and I'm thankful for that.
Be thankful this year for everything you have, everyone you have with you, let's be thankful.... Celebrate Thanksgiving with joy in your heart! God bless all of you...... ~Renee
Sweet moments. It's good she talked with you. That talk must have provided you with a sense of closure. May her soul rest in peace.
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