AFTER THANKSGIVING
This was an especially memorable Thanksgiving for me. It was totally unexpected but so heartwarming.
We lost a dear Navy friend. I had signed the Guest Book. Much to my surprise I received an email message from one of the children. She thanked me for writing and said that what I wrote was so true. I wrote back to her and asked her if someone in the family could write and tell us what happened. We lost contact with our friend some years back after his wife passed away. She wrote back and filled me in with so many details and shared so much with us. Although it was a sad loss for us, it was good to learn what had transpired since our last contact.
I lost another friend and also signed a Guest Book. Again, I was surprised to find a message from one of his children. We exchanged messages of memories, pictures, and thoughts. So many years had gone by this time that it was difficult to catch up. It brought back so many thoughts of high school and college days. It was hard to realize that so much time had flown by.
I've entered that age group where you read the obituaries daily and hope you don't see a name your recognize. In the last few months this hasn't been the case. But what impresses me is that family members are writing back and sharing so much. It is wonderful in many ways - sad in others. But it made this Thanksgiving a very special one for me.
I thank our newspaper for having the Legacy program. It opens doors that have been closed for a long time. It brings family members forward for you to meet and share. It is especially important for those of us that cannot attend services. And even then sometimes it's not possible to communicate with those attending and exchange thoughts and memories.
I encourage everyone to sign Guest Books if your local paper has this program in their obituary section. You have no idea what wonderful things can happen. I have not given a full account of these special moments for me this Thanksgiving, but I will remember them for as long as possible. They made this holiday so very personal and meaningful to me.
We lost a dear Navy friend. I had signed the Guest Book. Much to my surprise I received an email message from one of the children. She thanked me for writing and said that what I wrote was so true. I wrote back to her and asked her if someone in the family could write and tell us what happened. We lost contact with our friend some years back after his wife passed away. She wrote back and filled me in with so many details and shared so much with us. Although it was a sad loss for us, it was good to learn what had transpired since our last contact.
I lost another friend and also signed a Guest Book. Again, I was surprised to find a message from one of his children. We exchanged messages of memories, pictures, and thoughts. So many years had gone by this time that it was difficult to catch up. It brought back so many thoughts of high school and college days. It was hard to realize that so much time had flown by.
I've entered that age group where you read the obituaries daily and hope you don't see a name your recognize. In the last few months this hasn't been the case. But what impresses me is that family members are writing back and sharing so much. It is wonderful in many ways - sad in others. But it made this Thanksgiving a very special one for me.
I thank our newspaper for having the Legacy program. It opens doors that have been closed for a long time. It brings family members forward for you to meet and share. It is especially important for those of us that cannot attend services. And even then sometimes it's not possible to communicate with those attending and exchange thoughts and memories.
I encourage everyone to sign Guest Books if your local paper has this program in their obituary section. You have no idea what wonderful things can happen. I have not given a full account of these special moments for me this Thanksgiving, but I will remember them for as long as possible. They made this holiday so very personal and meaningful to me.
posted by Katie | 2:59 PM
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