Yet again, another year has gone by. It always amazes me how quickly time goes by. This was not a good year in our house. Oh yes, it had good moments, and there were still smiles and laughter, but I just felt like this year was a trial for us. One of those years where the saying "what does not kill you only makes you stronger" really mean something in our house. We will be missing dad this year, no doubt about it. I've accepted his passing, sure, but it still makes me sad. I feel though that all the positive feelings I have, are directing from him, so that sure helps make it through the day. I feel that the older I get, the more I understand that I have no control in this world, and death is a fact of life. One that we all must accept, but one that we don't really think about when we are young, or when we have not had to experience something like that.
Tonight I am cooking dinner for my side of the family. Mom and Bryan and Dee and the kids, and also my aunt and uncle, and Nellie and Ray. Can't compute exactly how they are related, I'm never good at that. But Nellie is my Grandmas niece, and Raymond is her son. Confusing to me, especially since Nellie is almost 91, and my Grandma would be in her upper 80's if she were alive. Soooo, my grandmas niece would be older than her. Funny, huh? My grandma was towards the end of the 14 or so kids her family had, and Nellie is the daughter of my grandmas oldest brother, and she is one of the oldest of 14 or so in her family too, I believe. Very confusing, and a lot of kids, and a lot of people I have never met!! So, I am cooking for them. My aunt is the one that is battling breast cancer. She is my fathers only sibling. She is in month 9 of her chemo, and the second month of her radiation. She is battling fatigue, and the 3rd degree burns on her body that radiation causes, but she only has a week and a half left, so she feels she can make it. If she's made it this far, I have hopes she can make it another couple weeks! She continues chemo until March. Her Doctor would like her to do an additional year of chemo beyond that time. They feel that it greatly improves their chances for a longer life. I haven't heard yet if she has decided to do it. At this point, her chemo is not so severe, so she feels like she should be able to handle it ok, and still work at the same time. However, she does adult foster care, and that is a highly physically taxing job, expecially if her patients are bed ridden, so I hope everything works for her. This is the first time she has spent Christmas eve with us. Usually we go over to her house on Christmas day, but of course, there is no way she is strong enough to handle that, and no way we would ever expect her to, so I invited them over, and since Nellie and Ray spend Christmas day with them also, I decided to invite them too! I don't ever like the fact of someone not having someone to spend the holiday with, especially when it is family. Tomorrow we will take dinner over to my aunts, and have a meal with them. It may come from Shari's, but it's the thought that counts, right? I didn't feel like going over and making a mess of her kitchen on Christmas day, and this way, no one has to cook, or clean! I've had enough of that for awhile! =) Thankfully I can prepare my food for my holiday parties at work, and then bring it home. The kitchen there is much more useful and easy to clean, and I get paid while I'm doing it. Bonus! So really, all my food is done, except for some last minute things, and putting everything into the oven. Convenient! Tomorrow morning we will be going over to Craig's parents for breakfast, like we do every year. Mmmmm, cinnamon rolls!
I hope everyone has a Very Merry Christmas! More to report in the New Year!
