Thankful Thursday

It's so funny this things we say.  And how sometimes...we have to eat our very own words...even if it's hard to do.

So two weeks ago I mentioned here that I was hoping to be better with these posts. 

Last week life got in the way a bit.  Nothing more than a procrastination of actually posting the blog.  I kept track and keeping track was the important part.  I was motivated to once again begin posting this week. And I was very excited b/c I had the amazing news to share that Mike was coming home!  He is now out of the Rehabilitation Center and back with us.  And that was amazing news! 

However, now comes the part when I have to eat my words. I said I'd post no matter what was going on in my life.  Cue the irony.  Because before I could even celebrate the happy news about Mike my heart was broken as I received news of a different kind.  Because this Thursday, this post will come out and I'll be attending a funeral for my cousin Clark.  His death was sudden and untimely and very tragic.  He was much too young at only 56 years of age.  I'm blessed for knowing him.  And he will be greatly missed.  He had one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know.  And he touched everyone he met with his humor and the special touches he did in everything.  Owen's birthday present from him was just absolutely beautiful.  In fact Jeremy and I knew who it was from even without opening the card.  It just had the Clark touch.  Every detail of everything he did was just a little bit more thoughtful than the one before. And he never ceased to amaze me.  He was resilent and unfailingly kind.  So I'm very sad to say goodbye. In fact I'm not even sure it's hit me yet.  So in light of this, it makes it really hard to find good about the week.  At all.  But...I said that I would find the good even though the good may be hard to find.  The amazing thing is when I force myself to think about it, I was able to find it.  It was there.  In between.

So some things I'm thankful for from the past week and a half or so are:

Finishing a successful Administrative Professionals Week at work.  We had a week packed full of awesome events for our Admins
Attending a very fun happy hour at Little Hills Winery with the APW Committee
Spending Saturday afternoon with Jeremy's Grandparents
Lunch at The Boathouse in Forest Park
Time with Jer to paint our breezeway, listen to music and spend a time together working on our house
Going to my cousin Devon's Bridal Shower. I'm so excited for her and Matt!
Finding a new place I can't wait to go back to The Wine Tap while at Devon's shower
Seeing my Uncle Doug, Deb and Bethany
Spending an afternoon with my Mom and Grandma
A Monday night at home
Reading to Owen
Having Owen show me that he wanted to be tossed into our pillows (a game me and Jeremy have taught him that he apparently really likes!)...then screaming and clapping after each toss!
Extra phone calls with my Mom, Grandma and my brother
The way family pulls together
That I've been praying more every day and asking for strength for whatever comes...and some how that has brought me peace through our loss

God please keep the strength coming.  2010 has been a challenging year so far for the Linley's.