It has become a habit, in recent years to pause and take a breath and remember the people who are no longer here with us. In years past I made a list of friends and family members who we’ve lost and shared it. The names on the list, for reasons that hardly matter, were reserved to people who had attended our Christmas party. I had set up name cards, or picture frames with their names at the party in years past to remember people that we miss. Then I expanded it to include people that had passed that were significant to my friends that were attending the party, or people like my sister-out-law Ger who loved a party and certainly would have come to one of our Christmas parties, eventually. This year- man, this year…
I know, intellectually, that as I get older there are going to be more funerals than weddings. I know that. I just struggle because there are so many. Perhaps I am selfish, I have a hard time letting go, because I always want another Christmas party with them, another lunch, another phone call, or text message. So maybe it is all about me. But even so, I have a very real belief that it is important to share their stories, to talk about them. If I tell stories about my mom at Christmas, and people remember her, or are cheered by my remembrance of her, it seems to dull the loss of not having her here. When you see this year's names, I think you will understand why we need to dull the loss.
Love the people in your life, tell them you love them. Remember them when they are gone. Most importantly, breathe and say their names.
Julia Beth Hankins
Betsy Hosley Kirk
Michael Paske
Jim Myles
Pam Barnett
Wylson Dainkau
Gary James
Becky Fox-Akens
Patrick Vaught
Jay Kopp
Chris Young
Karen Hylton
Ann Hankins
Stephanie Dunaway Forrest
Amanda Rohn
Chris Kinkade
Tara Stiner
Jane Rogers Meeks
Geraldine Black
Roy Casares
Mike Sutton
Courtney Owens Bond
Barry Hollis
James Swedberg
Donna Keyes
Cindy Stuart
Larry Roberts
Fred Kinkade
Dorothy Kinkade
Archie Horton
Alice Horton
Vera Sotelo
Danny Sotelo
Fausto Sotelo
Max Cook
Charles Eldon Cook
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Thank you for sharing! Some of the names on this list are very special to me and I will always remember them with a smile and now with a memory of your list.
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