Denise, Ned, Sarah and Hannah: Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011 was a mix of joy and sadness. December 9th a good friend lost his battle with lymphoma. It was a shock to us all as he was making progress. I said I wanted a Hallmark Channel movie ending for Brian. I wanted him to be home for Christmas with his family, the family he loved and adored so much. It's hard to wrap my mind around the whole thing. I think surely he must be coming back soon, that this didn't happen, did it? The picture below was taken just a couple of weeks before he died. It was taken at church on the occasion of his daughter's confirmation. He was the picture of health. This diagnosis blindsided us all and it's fast progression did as well.

Christmas Eve also brought a bit of sadness as well. It marked the day that Mary had fallen in the street and would never return to her home. I glanced up at the clock in the morning and realized it was about the time she had fallen and it set me off on a day-long journey of memories and tears. Oh, how I miss her.

Brian Ulrich, our friend who left us much too soon on December 9th after a brief battle with lymphoma.

Beautiful creche made in memory of our friend, Brian, Ulrich, by Edwin Weader at church.

Christmas day found us celebrating with family. What a wonderful distraction children can be. We enjoyed watching the kids play and get excited about their gifts. I was also happy for my brother, whose first born celebrated her very first Christmas. Christmas has always been a little hard for both my brother and me as our dad died just a few weeks after Christmas. He was 12 and I was a few months shy of 8. He commented that for the first time since he was 12, he felt a sense of peace and joy on Christmas, which made me feel wonderful. I know a lot of people struggle with Christmas, especially when the media is telling you that everyone should be happy! I think for me, it's a reminder of what has been lost. Between that and the commercialism, it sometimes makes it hard to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. That said, I feel so blessed to have this life and I thank God every day for my family...they are my most precious gifts:)