Today is a Gift...

Well, in my last post I talked about my trip to the coast and riding with my brother-in-law but when I came back little did I know that I was to see him again right away here in Reno. I debated about what to write about in this blog but since you are all so much a part of our JBW family, I decided to share what has been going on here in my life...even though it is a bit sad.

We got back on a Friday night. On Saturday, we cleaned up, unpacked, and just generally settled in...ahhh.... home! That afternoon, my husband called his mother to let her know we would be there Sunday to have breakfast with her, to take her shopping and what not. Boy, was she excited to hear that! Well, the next day, we got moving and called her on the way out to her place with no luck. We assumed she was in the shower but, alas, that wasn't the case. She had passed very peacefully the night before at 87 and will be missed by our family very much.

Gloria and Chris Mother's Day 2011

I can't tell you how amazing my JBW family is and how much I adore each and every one of them!!! I let Terry know right away that it was clear I would need some time off (sheesh...I had just come back from a week off) and they ALL pitched in to make sure I had the entire week off to take care of my family!!

My husband's brothers and their fantastic wives came into town and we cried, laughed, and just generally celebrated Gloria and enjoyed each others company. We don't get to see each other very often since the middle brother, George, lives in Nashville and Chris (the youngest) lives in San Juan Capistrano. Because of this, the wives have never had too much time together to get to know each other. Now our husbands may not be so excited that we got to share so many notes. However, some real bonding occurred and I think we all found it a great experience, even though the circumstances were sad. I say often that today is a gift - that's why it's called the present, so I wish you all the best present you can have today!!

As always, happy knitting and crocheting!

Jeanne


P.S. There was knitting, of course, and as Elizabeth Zimmerman used to say 'knitting through all crises'!! I finished my Liesl and continuously knit a pair of simple socks as we chatted. My sister-in-law, Katherine, knits, too and she finished a Traveling Women shawl and then worked on my Saroyan (I am using Tahki Tara Tweed) since she didn't have anything left to knit with her. I think Cathy was watching and we may have set the seed for learning to knit in her mind/fingers, so I will keep you posted on that front!