For One More Day

The in-laws 50th Wedding Anniverary (Mike is on the far left)

Wow, it's been a busy week or two. June is usually our busiest month but this year, May almost got the best of me. I have no idea how I got anything done when I had a full time job! My posting has been sporadic. My house really needs a good going over. There are still things to plant in the garden. I won't even mention the landscaping projects we have going on. We'll get it done. It'll just take lots of elbow grease to get there.

We spent Memorial Day with my in-laws. It was nice but a bit sad. It seems that we really miss my BIL on holidays. Those are the times that we were all together, cooking out, playing board games, or listening to the men play their bluegrass favorites. We did cook out this year and we also made a trip to the cemetery since the in-laws wanted to put some silk flowers on Mike's grave. It's in a beautiful country location and he loved this area. It was all he ever knew. I wish everyone could have known him. He was such a gentle, caring, compassionate person. He never knew a stranger and never had an enemy. He was fun to hang out with. He was smart and had wonderful writing skills. He spent most of his life trying to help kids in some capacity. He had one of the softest hearts I've ever known. I loved cooking his favorite desserts when I knew he was coming over. I think the last thing I made him was a big batch of "puppy chow." You know, the chex mix, smothered in chocolate, and then covered with powdered sugar. He loved it. I had to be careful how much I put out because if I didn't watch, he would eat an entire gallon ziploc bag full. Since he was diabetic, I always tried to put out just enough so that it wouldn't make him sick later on.

We've definitely entered a new phase in our lives. It's different without him around, but we rejoice with the knowledge that he is with the Lord. I hope that the sting of his death will be short lived and that we can spend our days telling our children wonderful stories of their favorite uncle. I hope that my in-laws will find more comfort in the Lord as each day passes. I pray that the end of their lives will be lived out in joy and peace, remembering the wonderful 47 earthly years they had with him.