..... today is Jim's 50th birthday.Yes, I'm still bitter that I am now older than he is.
Very bitter.
Oh well.
It's been a decent day.
I think Jim would be proud of how well everyone is doing.
Very proud of Daughter #1 and where she is and how well she's doing.
He would have been happy to watch Daughter #2 graduate last May and know that she is doing well.
And proud of Daughter #3 and how dedicated she is to her major and the children she works with.
He would be beaming at Son #1 and so very much like him he has become.
And he would be very proud of Son #2 and the progress he's made in the last year or so .... and how far he's come.
He would be quite happy with Son #3 and all that he's managed to accomplish in his first year of high school.
Yes, I think he'd be proud .... and satisfied that each of his children are pursing their own passions and gifts ..... and he'd be great with that.
He is definitely missed.
Definitely.
But I think that he'd also be happy that we have not become paralyzed in our grief ... not totally, anyway. There have been days when I've felt that, but I can see that we're all managing to move forward ... one step, one breath at a time.
He'd want us to move forward.
All of us.
As we would want that for him.
And so today we celebrate who he was.
The man that he was.
And the impact that he left.
He was a terrific father and a wonderful husband.
We are all better people because of who he was.
And so we move forward.
Because of him.
And all that he left us.
We are blessed.
Indeed.
14 comments:
Beautifully said! Happy Birthday Jim! You are loved and always remembered. Love, Vicki
I can relate to a bit of your post, altho' Greg and I did not have kids. And also he was 3 years older than me to begin with... This was a "taking assessment" kind of thing.... how you are doing now, and a fair reckoning of that. Anyway, I can read how well you have all done, how far you have progressed. Which is not to say that Jim has been forgotten nor shunted aside. He is someone that will always figure in all of your lives, and will always live in your children. I am so happy at the peace that seems to come thru with this post, Janine. {{Hugs}} to you from Florida.
what a precious post. you sound like you're in a good place. celebrating his life and his legacy with you. blessings to you, friend.
-hugs-
I agree. You 7 are doing very well!
JB
Happy Birthday Jim! You are celebrating with our Savior, Jesus. You have a strong family who will continue your legacy.
Blessings and love,
Beth
Jim truly left a great legacy and all of you would make him proud. I am sure he was proud of you while he was here. You are doing a great job carrying on his legacy. May you feel comfort and peace today. Blessings on your family.
Well said ...life ends but relationships are forever!
Another hard day for you, but it sounds like you are staying upbeat and possitive. I admire that. One day maybe that will come for me. I can only hope. Happy Birthday to your Jim. Hugs to you, Lorry
Thought about you and Jim's birthday yesterday. I remember when I first posted here, you mentioned that your Jim's birthday was on the day my Jim died. So yes, it was a year ago yesterday that I lost my Jim. It still seems very surreal - it doesn't seem possible that the world has gone on without him for a year. And that I have survived it. Your blog gives me hope that a) I am not crazy and b) it will get better (or at least different). Thanks for continuing to share here. I don't comment often, but I always read.
What a great post..Sounds like you have reached a milestone in your journey without Jim physically being at your side.
I have been following your blog from the very beginning of your unplanned journey..I continue to pray for you and your precious family.
Jo Ann, The Woodlands, TX.
I think this is my favorite post you have written. Its a wonderful remembrance of Jim, while not so much "mourning" him. (Im not sure if that's a proper term, since you are of course mourning. I hope you get what I mean!) It is an inspiration to see how far you have come in the last two years. I absolutely cannot imagine losing my husband, but I do know that eventually one of us will lose the other, and quite honestly its refreshing to see someone go thru that tragedy so unexpectedly and still come out on top shining. You're awesome. I know you were talking about taking a blog vacation, which I agree with the majority of your commenters that its a good sign, I would love to see your blog turn into a "celebration" type blog. Celebrating the feats you have overcome, celebrating life while you can (you of all people know how precious it truly is), and allowing us to actually witness something so amazing. Now, of course, I don't think anyone is thinking that you're "over" you're grieving, but I like seeing you enjoy life again and making it thru these hard days knowing tomorrow will come. Whew, ok. I'm done! I just got so thrilled reading this!
Happy Birthday Jim!
Many of us are better people for having known you.
You are missed!
Thinking of you J and family. Love you, K
What a man and what a life filled with love!
We all miss him so much and know how proud he would be of each and every one of you for your strength, integrity and perseverence through it all. All of you are amazing and you had an incredible leader of your family.
You have become that leader and I am so proud of you!
Love you!
Post a Comment