Decorating & Remembering

Christmas 2011 was not a year to decorate for obvious reasons.  I felt lucky to just get through that first Christmas.  Christmas 2012 was a the year of transition.  I was in what I affectionately called my "rental hovel" with most of my belongings except the bare essentials packed away.  There was no way I was going to attempt to decorate.

Christmas was always a time when Irene decorated the whole house.  Multiple Christmas trees came out.  Nutcrackers were all over the house.  Garland adorned the living room and lights were everywhere.

I am not quite that ambitious.  Most of the decorations were sold when the Merlin house was sold.  However, several things were too precious to part with.  So, after Thanksgiving the bubble light tree came out.  Several years ago we bought a very short set of battery operated LED lights to accentuate the bubble light tree.  Technology has improved, and I found a set of 50 small multicolored LED lights that fit it perfectly.  I took off the old lights and installed the new ones tonight.

The Santa carving was done by Roy Flowers, a friend & fellow Diamond employee, who we also lost way too early to cancer.

Relay for Life

Our local Relay for Life was July 20-21, and I was on our Calvary Lutheran team.  While I had other obligations that precluded me from attending both days, I was there for most of the first day.

After two and one-half years, one would think that the "misty eye" syndrome would have passed.  However, the opening ceremony was quite moving and that old syndrome returned from time to time.

Pieces of Renee

I continue to unpack boxes as I organize the new house and am now finding the treasures I kept.  Many are pieces of art that Irene did.  Her last major piece was a stained glass panel she wanted to use outside at the Merlin house.  She had drawn the design, gathered the glass and had much of it laid out before she died.  Fortunately, Charlie, my neighbor, consented to build a frame for it, and Kate Smith agreed to finish the piece.  Rex Hart, my finish carpenter, came by today and helped me hang it.  The original idea was to hang it in the bedroom window.  But, that would not work due to the window treatments.  Thus, we implemented Plan B.  The result is below.

Guardian Angel

I would have liked to post this two days ago, but I was without Internet due to the fact that I moved into my new home.  And somehow, I feel that Irene is watching over it and me.

Why do I have that feeling?  We broke ground on the house on August 13, 2011, Irene's birthday.  (Coincidentally it was also Grandma Maggie's birthday.)  Then, the house was finished on January 25, and January 26 was my first full day in the house; which was also the second anniversary of Irene's death.

Remembering That Special Day

Irene & I were married 30 years ago today in a little country church in rural Wisconsin.  It was a Norman Rockwell setting, an early 1900's brick church with white wooden doors and steeple that was set at the end of a tree lined gravel lane.

As a bit of irony, it was 4 years ago today that we found out Irene had a brain tumor and the beginning of a whole new journey.

Irene, you are in my heart.

A Blast From the Past

I did something last week that I had not envisioned ever doing again, I returned to Findlay, OH.

I received an email from an ex-fellow employee of Diamond Savings & Loan Company where Irene and I worked.  The company had been sold to Bank One on October 28, 1992, twenty years ago.  The email stated that a "family" reunion was being planned for September 8 and wondered if I was interested in attending.  As we were indeed a family, a most unusual bond of employees as I have ever seen, I could not resist.

Irene was featured in a slide show of other employees who had departed as well as old candid photos of company parties, etc.  It was obvious from the conversations I had with everyone that she is still sorely missed by many.

Thoughts

Today is one of those days when the sun, moon & stars came into alignment.  It was a serendipitous occasion.

Why? Today is Irene's birthday.  (Happy birthday Renee!).  It is also the day my general contractor broke ground on my new house.  I believe the coincidence of these two events on the same day bodes well for building a new home!