Sadness

It is with such immense sadness that I humbly request prayers for dear Becky at Sweet Cottage Dreams. Yesterday she and her husband lost their oldest son Jordan. My heart is broken for this sweet lady. Anyone who has been blessed to know Becky has been blessed by her generosity, her talents, her warm heart and touched by the great love she has for her family. To lose a child is unimaginable. If you can do so, please leave a message of love for Becky at her blog. Just click on the link in red.

Recently a very special friend from High School days lost her only daughter. Sweet Melissa's fight with cancer was a brave and inspiring one and all who knew her feel so blessed to have had their lives brightened by her smile.

Any parent, no, *any* woman, any man who has ever dearly loved a child can only imagine the pain that these two dear families now face. May God be with them and hold them close. May His presence bring them comfort and ease their great pain.

In Memory Of A Dear Canine Friend

Edited on Thursday, 12:18 am.

Dear blog friend, Meggie, has suffered the loss of a sweet fur friend too. Her beautiful cat, Casper, has left this world. I like to think that Ben met with Casper and helped walk him over to their new home. Please know Meg that I care so much and that almost all of us here in this special bloggy circle of women, know this pain and share your loss with you. Hugs to you.

Today I visited Deb's blog, Posted From Home, and was saddened to learn that they had lost their sweet Ben. Ben was such a dear and gentle soul...a dog among dogs. He became a friend to all of us who stopped by Deb's blog, a beloved and loyal friend. I know that Ben loved the outdoors and watching wildlife. Today I spotted these two lovely creatures in a near by pond

and thought of Ben.

All seasons are beautiful for the one who carries happiness within.

- Horace Friess

And Ben carried such happiness within his heart.

This quotation reminded me of Ben...

~This is a photo collage that Deb made using her images of Ben.~

Is it so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have

lived light in the sky, to have loved, to have thought, to have done?

- Mathew Arnold

We remember you gentle Ben...we send our love to you Deb and to Kate, her daughter, at The French Nest.

Our Parents

A very dear, very special lady lost her father

yesterday. I lost my Dad 6 years ago and we lost both

of Bill's folks last year. We will miss them forever.

I want to mention something she wrote in her email....

If you still have one or both of your parents, please tell them you love them.

I will add that, all too often, we get caught up in the commotion of the day and forget to stop and check in with those we love the most. Parents are almost always at the top of that list....so please, in honor of the parents who are no longer on this Earth with us, give your parent/parents a call, pay them a visit, send them a card...ask those questions and mend those fences befor it is too late.

For those of you, who like me, have lost one or both of your parents, hold them close

in memory. Those memories will comfort and warm you. As long as we keep them

in our hearts and thoughts, they never really leave us.