First off I have to say thank you to everyone who emailed, called, texted, posted, and sent flowers. We are so blessed to have all of your kind words and thoughts. I has been a difficult week for our little family, but you all have made it a little easier. I know we have been less than communicative as we work through the loss, so I just wanted to say thank you and we are getting a little better each passing day.
I think the thing that helps us (not surprisingly) is making some plans to honor Marble. This week we wondered to a new spot in the condo complex and sat in a swing and talked about Marble. One decision we needed to make was what we would do with her little ashes. We selfishly wanted to burry them, but knew that she would hate to be confined underground for eternity. So the obvious choice was to scatter her in a special place where she would be happy. But we knew we wanted to have a memorial spot for her, so we plan to have a swing in the new backyard with a stone that marks a buried tin of…. glass marbles! That way we can sit with her memory, and enjoy a cup of coffee from the back yard that was so carefully selected for its ball tossing, lap running and squirrel chasing possibilities.
On to brighter thoughts…
Charles had signed us up for a photography class, and our first lesson is this morning. We will be going for 2 hour sessions each Saturday for the next 4 weeks. Charles was nice enough to give me his old Nikon when he got a new one for his Birthday, so we will both be properly armed students for this 8 hour adventure. I am anxious for someone to tell me how to use the DSLR so my pictures stop looking like I shot them in a dark cave!
While the return to GA was not a happy one, we did have a wonderful time on Family vacation and are so happy that we got to spend some time with our parents, sisters, and nieces and nephews. The kids are such remarkable young people and it is an amazing opportunity to get to see them grow, hear their thoughts, and interact with them.
The best news of the week is that our Brother-in-Law, Matt, returned home. He has been deployed since January, and we have all missed him dearly. His return to shore will be a long one as he is finally done with his department head tour, and has earned some time on solid ground. We are of course thankful for everything he does for us and our Country – but are happy he can use some of those talents on the surface for the upcoming months.