A faulty router rendered us incommunicado for most of the weekend so I'll be playing catch up today.
I give thanks for my extended family. The majority of Mum's family is in the UK, and most of Dad's family on the West Coast. Mum had two siblings, Grace and Jack, and Dad was one of seven, and there are two surviving siblings on Dad's side - Mary and Carol. Many of my parents' siblings have been married more than once so there is quite a large number of cousins (my cousins on my Dad's side shown above in 2004), and now second and third cousins.
I often wish that I had been born and raised in one place, and had a huge extended family around me, but then again, I value the experiences that I gained from traveling around during my Dad's military career. I give thanks for modern technology that keeps us all connected.
I give thanks for our veterans. As the daughter of a retired Army veteran (Dad shown above in 1948 and Vic in 2013), and the wife of an active duty Navy servicemember, our veterans are very dear to my heart. All gave some, some gave all. I was amazed to rough calculate that I have over 100 family members and close friends who have served or are currently serving in the military. Thank you for your service and God bless you all.
I give thanks for my friends. Having been practically from one side of the world to the other, they are pretty spread out, but thanks to e-mail and Facebook, we keep in touch one way or the other! There have been many seasons in my life and in each one, special friends.
Hazel, my grammar school (high school) classmate. We had a lot of high jinks in our years together and many, many laughs!
My dear friend, Sharon in California. We worked together from 1978 to 1991 and she will always have a very special place in my heart.
My Sisters in Christ from our MOPS and Ladies Bible Study days in Florida, my Sisterchicks, how wonderful it was to see four of them this summer in Minnesota. Our kids started off in the Chapel Nursery together and now they are all moving through their high school and college years. I can't think of Florida without thinking also of Janet L, Sophia's honorary grandmother "Mama Janet".
My dear friend, Jodie from Virgina. Homeschooling and scrapbooking were our passions while we were together, along with American Girl, anything to do with tea and tea parties, and Longaberger.
And Janet B, dear friend of Mum and Dad, who became like an older sister to me and my sister Barbara. Janet managed the retirement community where Mum and Dad lived and is dearly loved by all of us.
I give thanks for precious memories of special family holiday celebrations. Our family (Dad, Mum, Barbara and I) spent so many years in foreign countries, miles away from family, and as adults, we were often separated by an ocean. Now, Vic, Sophia and I are a bi-coastal family, soon to be separated by the Pacific Ocean. Holidays when we were all together were especially precious. In particular, we have our Kettlewell Family Christmas 2001, Thanksgiving 2002 which was Mum's last, and Christmas 2008 in Bend, Oregon which was Dad's last Christmas. This photo was taken in Kettlewell, it's the bridge over Kettlewell Beck leading to the church.
