A Time to Be Thankful and a Time to Mourn

The tummies are full and we have much to be thankful for. We enjoyed time with family and heard from friends by way of the phone. Thanksgiving greetings were sent to many on Facebook. Handwritten cards arrived in the mail reminding me of loved ones we miss. We are so blessed.

On Thanksgiving eve we received a call from my sister with sad news. Her brother-in-law, Louie, had lost his hard fought battle with cancer, and heart problems. He had been diagnosed with cancer at least ten years ago. His brother, my brother-in-law, had shared his bone marrow with him a number of years ago. This helped for quite some time. But the illness prevailed in the end. Each time we saw him he was somewhat thinner than before. He was the patriarch of a beautiful family. He will be sorely missed by many.

This seems to be the time of the year that we lose loved ones. November is the month we lost my Dad, in 1964, when all of his grandchildren were quite young. He was only 53 years old when he lost a battle with cancer. We had not known why he had so much pain until it was much too late to properly fight the illness. Mom had to be courageous as a young widow and to continue to earn a living on her own. She had always had Dad at her side as she held a paint brush and climbed ladders to earn a living. It wasn't easy for her as she hated to be alone. She eventually married again. She buried her second husband the month she turned eighty.

Three years ago it was another November that saw the loss of my youngest sister Betty. She was just 67 years old and had endured pancreas and liver problems for some time. We are never really ready to say goodbye to our younger siblings. But her children were less ready to say goodbye. They had already lost their Dad ten years before.

December is also another month that we have had to say bye to loved ones. Both of Paul's parents went to be with the Lord in December. Paul's mother died on her 60th birthday in 1971 after suffering with cancer for some time. Paul's father lived until he was 89. He would have been 90 in April of 2000. He lived long enough to bury three wives.

I remember Paul's mother saying that she was glad to get through this time of the year without losing a loved one. It must have been near her birthday in December when she was around thirteen that she lost her father. That would be traumatic for a young teenager or child. She had four younger siblings. Her mother had to work very hard to support them after having been provided for by her carpenter husband.

Families have so many stories to share and we must not forget where we have been. I wish I could remember all the stories my grandmothers told me. Mom and Dad always talked about things they had done in years past too. Wish I had a photographic memory to recall everything that I have been told. I'll try to remember what I can so I can share.

We have much to be thankful for and I wish that all those that I love could realize this fact. I love our family and friends. I also love our country. God bless each one that I love.  :)

top photo-Betty McDonaugh Hamilton, my youngest sister; second photo-McDonaugh family; third photo-Gwladys Jones Marvin with Paul Marvin,Jr. family; bottom photo- Paul W. Marvin,Sr.