Applause, please, for the supporting cast and crew!

I am about to embark on my 6th wedding anniversary since Eric’s death. I passed the 30th anniversary milestone alone, which was quite difficult, and now I am looking at what would have been year 34 for us. Wow…..it really doesn’t seem like 34 years ago that we began our Mr. & Mrs. adventure! I really, truly wish he could have stayed here for our 50th or beyond not just because I miss him but because telling stories together was so much more fun than telling them alone!

You know how it is – we each see through a different set of lenses so the story is only partially complete until all sides are told. Never when we were enjoying our adventures or retelling them to others later did I picture telling them alone; it almost makes them one dimensional instead of vibrant and lively. I can picture us correcting each other as we got things wrong or left out important details; laughing at each other trying to piece our perspectives together into one story from two brains was always fun…and funny!

One thing I have been thankful for over the past 5+ years is the people who ‘do life’ with me. I am no longer a wife but I am a mom, a sister, an aunt, a daughter, a friend and a Gram! I am currently making more stories with the people I am blessed to spend time with. They aren’t stories about Eric and I but they are about vacations, fall evening bonfires, retreats with the girls, events attended with each other, ministering to others, lazy afternoons with pizza and cards, movie nights and popcorn, leisurely dinners out and bible study groups. I am blessed with friends and family who have helped me to keep living and enjoying the things life has to offer. That is priceless…and lifesaving.

So, thank you to all who have poured into me in an effort to make sure I didn’t give up or simply exist. Thank you for praying, calling, texting, writing, laughing, crying, correcting, encouraging, inviting, hugging, pushing and loving. You have made more of a difference than you could ever imagine and I am so appreciative. I’ll have to tell you the story some day!

     Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.  But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.  Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone?  A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer.  Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.