Can I get an "AMEN" that February is over?

February is over!  WOW, what a month…and not all good.  My last post was on Joe’s birthday and that set the tone for pretty much the whole month.  I had no real illusion that just because the firsts were over that the seconds would be much better.  Joe’s birthday was a very sad day.  I handled it well, but it was a mellow kind of day.  The snow that fell on his birthday was a nice touch though.  However, what followed for the rest of the week was a little over the top.  Snow, then some snow, followed by ice and then a whole lot more snow.  One of my co-workers texted me on Thursday during the height of some of the heaviest snow and asked me if I could tell Joe that enough was enough!  That man really did like to see the white stuff falling.  He would have had a great time for the 24+ hours that we had stuff coming down.  Now mind you, I like snow as much as the next person, but after being here at the house for only 8 hours watching it fall, I had had enough.  I usually would have enjoyed it more, but much of that was because before I had a 6’7” man running around like a kid.  I tried to stay positive, but after hours upon hours of snow coverage on the TV, hours and hours of snow coverage on the internet, I was ready for it to end.  It was very pretty though.  I got some very nice photos and a couple of good videos.  A friend of mine from church told me the following Sunday that she thought she could probably find my house in Durham because of all the photos I posted on Facebook of my backyard.  I never actually went outside, but rather would just open the back or front doors and shoot from the threshold.  It was cold out there.  After arriving at home on Wednesday at noon, I didn’t venture outside except from my doorway until Friday at noon when I drove to the office.  But that was then.  The white stuff fell, it was pretty, it was nice, now it’s over….until we get sleet tonight anyway.

By mid-month, my head was starting to refocus.  But then the last half of February happened.  Now it wasn’t all bad.  I had the opportunity to go prom dress shopping with Sara & Aimee…2 days.  I got to go down to Hope Mills for Sara’s 18^th birthday party….that I really enjoyed.  It’s hard to believe that she is actually 18 and going to college next year.  Seems like just yesterday that her little 3 year old self waddled over to Joe and asked, “can I call you Uncle Joe?”  That was the moment that she stole a part of his heart and she never let go.  I am so glad that she got to spend the afternoon with him the day that he died.  She got to lay on the bed and talk to him all alone.  He got to look at her and smile.  He was so happy to have seen them that day, although feeling like crap.

But I digress.  Then the month started to go wrong.  First Joe’s cousin David had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital in Wilmington.  It was very bad.  The prognosis was very grave.  Then less than 2 weeks later, David’s father, Joe’s Uncle Dave was rushed to the hospital in Laurinburg.  His prognosis was even worse.  Joe’s cousin Steve, David’s brother and Dave’s other son, left Asheville and went to his dad.  Sadly, only 4 days later, Uncle Dave died.  Then just yesterday, just a little over a week after his father passed away, David died in Wilmington.  It has been an extremely tough time for the family.  My heart goes out to David’s wife Vickie; his children, Holly, Christopher and Adam; and his brother Steve, along with the entire family. 

Loss.  That just seems to be what February was about.  Me revisiting, yet again my loss.  The family being dealt a terrible blow yet again.

February also has been the start of the Relay for Life 2014.  I’ve started trying to get an early start on donations to support my walk again this year.  So far so good.  I’m very pleased especially since it is still very early.  This year’s event is May 30-31^st and once again will be at Leesville Road High School.  I set my initial goal a little higher than I did last year and hopefully by the end of March, I will have attained that goal and can bump up the amount significantly.  Last year I moved the goal up higher 3 times.  While I hope to surpass last year, I don’t want to be greedy, so I’ll just plan on 2 goals.  My initial $2000.00 and once I reach that, I’ll raise the goal to $4000.00.  That’s not asking too much is it?  “Reach for the moon.  Even if you miss, you land among  the stars.”  Right?

So with that said, if you would like to sponsor me in my 14 hour walk, you can do so by clicking on the link below.  You can donate via credit card by clicking on the donate now button on the website or you can click on the link below the “Donate Now” button and print off the donation sheet and mail in with a check.  Please make the check payable to The American Cancer Society.  Your donation is 100% tax deductible.  CLICK HERE TO GO TO JEFF’S RELAY FOR LIFE WEB PAGE

“We Walk All Night Because Cancer Never Sleeps”

Here’s hoping March brings some brighter moments in all our lives.  Thank you for your prayers, your support, your concern and your friendships.