Forward - From the Heartland of Carolina

This is a continuing story of the journey Forward shared by 2 people, Lynne and Tom. Both love to LIVE life to it's fullest, which currently means spending lots of time outdoors, working on various projects from gardens to patios, flowers to vegetables, sunrises and sunsets, birds and woodland critters, and spending time with family. Don't forget to check the monthly archives, and please feel free to leave us a comment so we know you stopped by.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Mom's Family Reunion Pictures

As Lynne said, the weekend came together at Mom's request. And it came together really well. The weather was perfect for everyone travelling in. First to arrive was Pauline, the youngest daughter, who flew in from Texas on Thursday. Mom's eyes smiling in this picture says it all. (Pictures can be clicked for a larger view)

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Bill was the next out-of-towner to arrive, coming in on Friday afternoon. Again, another happy and tearful reunion for the siblings.

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Bill and Jan, along with Jan's Father, Fred, made the trip down with their dog 'Snickers', who really took to Mom :-)


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Pauline and her S/O Eric helped take 'Snickers' for a walk with Jan, while Bill spent some time with Mom, and then after everyone settled down, Bill and Pauline got some quality time alone with Mom.


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After a quiet pizza dinner, Bill and his family went home for the evening, we waited for Lee and Tracy to get in from PA, and Pauline took a break with Mom's cat 'Tinkerbell'



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Things got started early on Saturday, with Lee and Pauline up and at it early, although not so bright-eyed :-)


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Pauline went out and picked a flower arangement for Mom, using almost everything that was blooming in the yard at the time.

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Mom spent much of Saturday morning catching up on family pictures, some which Pauline brought with her, and then on the computer, via the family's various MySpace and Facebook accounts.


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Mom sat with us for a while (this was the longest she'd been up for quite a while) then, went back to her room with Tinkerbell, waiting for everyone else to arrive later in the afternoon.


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Mom rested for a while, while we snacked on a meat and cheese tray with fresh bread and rolls, several batches of wings, home-made dips and salsa, a spiral ham, and of course, Lynne's 'famous' potato salad. ;-)




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Finally, everyone was here, and Mom came out from her room again to enjoy the family who had gathered around this weekend.














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As the weekend came to a close, Bill and his family returned to Virginia, Pauline and Eric flew back to Texas, Lee and Tracy drove back to PA, Ruth, Russ and the girls went back to Raleigh. Mom's wish of being with her family was honored, while she understood that her other daughter Joyce was unable to travel down, having just recently been in the hospital herself. The family did make sure everyone, including Mom, had a chance to talk with her during this special weekend.


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Mom's weekend ended on a 'high' that lasted well into the next week, and for us, that was a WONDERFUL thing to see. What the future holds, the Good Lord only knows, but all of us are especially thankful for our weekend together.

We again thank you for visiting our blog, and we thank you for your good thoughts and prayers on Mom's behalf. They are appreciated, more than we can convey.

Peace and Love from the Heartland of NC,

Tom and Lynne.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Family Reunion

Last weekend we mananaged to pull off Moms wish - the one she had requested while she was in the hospital - we got 5 of her children here for a family reunion - a weekend of sharing, reminiscing, laughing and yes crying. In all we had 21 here on Saturday between children, spouses and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Various members of the family were here from Thursday thru to Monday giving Mom a chance to spend time with different ones on an individual basis. I personally have not seen Mom so happy in a very long time as she was last week. Between Ruth and I and numerous phonecalls, e-mails and co-ordinating schedules we were able to pin down a date when the most would be able to come. It was so wonderful to see our babysister again - Pauline if you read this - don't make it so long between trips back east again - you know you have several places where you and Eric can stay ;). Lots and lots of pictures were taken and Tom will be posting them soon.

The main thing that I personally enjoyed about the weekend was we were all able to 'enjoy' the visit. So many times families only get together when an elderly relative dies and there is alot of 'wish we could have gotten here sooner' type of thinking. Our prayer of course is that we can have Mom around for years to come and have her be able to enjoy more visits but if she is called home we all know she is ready and at peace with her life and all of us were able to help grant her last main wish/prayer.

On a sad note - Tom and I had to put our oldest cat, Simba, to sleep two weeks ago. Old age (18 years old) and an inoperable tumor were just to much for him. We kept him and loved him for as long as we felt he was comfortable but finally had to make the decision. Jenn our DIL was so very gentle, caring and supporting in our decision. Thank you Jenn for all the loved you showed our Simba over the years. I know he was a very special part of yours and Kevins life too.

Spring while in some respects has been a very sad time for me it is also a time of rejoicing and rebirth. The gardens are coming alive - most plants did survive the drought of last summer and have been drenched with much needed rain the last few weeks and puttting on their spring growth. Bluebirds are nesting in Mom's bluebird house. We have yet to spot our first hummingbird of the season but did see our first firefly the other night. Nights are getting warmer and sitting out on the porch after hours is becoming the activity of choice. We have a new visitor to the yard on a pretty daily basis now - a rooster from somewhere in the neighborhood struts his stuff for the better part of the day. He is a right handsome gent and there is a mutual respect between him and the cats - i.e. they all keep their distance of each other. Our wintersown baby seedlings are looking healthy and strong waiting for the soil to warm up just a bit more. All in all - Life is pretty darn good here at HeartlandGardens. Thank you all for stopping by and for signing the last blog - your thoughts and prayers for Mom were/are greatly appreciated - until next time

Lynne ~~he who plants a seed - believes in tomorrow~~