Our Heartfelt Thanks

We agreed with Valerie that we needed to show our gratitude and appreciation towards the people who went with us to Tulsa. LuWanna and Chris made themselves very useful, quietly and behind the scenes. They never asked for anything for themselves, but were supportive and thoughtful while the rest of us were very worried and sad. The things they did to help us would make too long a list to put here. They were there when most people would have wanted to be very far away from the devastating process of our losing our precious mother and grandmother. We would have hopes, only to be told terrible news we often didn't fully understand, and then there was the long day we knew we were losing her and there was nothing we could do to save her. It was a roller coaster of emotions with our beloved, unconcious, mother at the very center, and for our friends to stick with us through all that so far away from their own support system is just so remarkable. They deserved a very special thanks.

So two weeks ago, Valerie kicked up a huge fire in her backyard, and made it a special occasion by inviting LuWanna and Chris and the rest of the family for a surprise thank you party! It turned out very well as you can see. Our special guests were presented with gifts and many hugs. OH, and did I mention the food? Margie brought a whole wagon of doughnuts, Ken brought his all-time crowd-pleasing lasagne, Val made her heartwarming Fireside Chili, and there were many other goodies and treats. But the best part was the roaring fire, fed by clean pallet wood. Mike brought a mountain of it, precariously balanced on his Jeep, and it not only kept us warm, it burned without noxious smoke or smell. For those of us who were there, it was comforting to be together and I think it helped us all.