Devious Journal Entry

Hello, DA friends.  I know it's been awhile since I journaled here, but I have had a very stressful 2014 thus far.  We lost my Dad, at age 93 after complications from a silly fall in his kitchen.  He was one heck of a wonderful man, and I miss him terribly.  My Mom, since she's unable to get along by herself (age 89) now lives with my husband and me.  Her macular degeneration is so progressed that she can no longer do much of anything by herself, and after seeing my Dad go down so fast (3 months) after his fall, I don't want her falling at her home alone.  It has been an adjustment, but we are all managing nicely.  I'm at her beck and call 24/7, and sometimes get worn out, but she'd do the same for me.

Less than a week after my Dad died, a beloved brother-in-law passed away with cancer.  He fought a good fight, but just wasn't strong enough to fight the cancer AND the chemo.  My sweet sister, lost her Father and her Husband in such a short time span.  

Then, as if that wasn't enough on our plates, my only brother passed away from cancer as well, the last of May.  We knew he was very thin, but felt he was kicking cancer's butt.  We saw him about two weeks before he died.  He came in for Mother's Day.  We are so thankful for those last hugs.

So trying to breathe and putting one foot in front of the other has been our major accomplishments so far this year.  We are trying to put a positive spin on it all, but it's hard.  I find myself doing a lot of art while I'm trying to put down the what if's that blast through my head.   

The rest of the year is going to be good.  That's my mantra, and I stick by it.