Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and grandfathers out there. Whether you are blessed to be a dad to an angel in heaven or blessed to have children here on Earth, I believe the connection fathers have to their children can never be denied. I see it in my husband everyday. Jackson means the world to him, and I know he always will.

A father's grief is just as tough as a mother's grief. So today I ask you to remember the dads who have lost children and say a little prayer for them.

I have two links I would like to bring your attention to. Recently, Brent came across a blog titled "A Blog for Father's When a Baby Dies." Brent has really enjoyed reading this, and I hope it can be a resource to other dads going through the same thing. The author of the blog lost his daughter 20 years ago to stillbirth, but it is obvious the pain of missing her is still there. Especially check out his entry from April 26 where he talks about Father's and Mother's days. I will also be adding this blog to my resource page.

Although it sounds weird, I was pleased to open the paper today to The Denver Post and see an article about dads who have outlived their children. Although the article speaks of dads who lost children when they were older, I was still happy to see The Denver Post thought to acknowledge men who have suffered a loss on Father's Day. I encourage you to check out "For dads who outlive kids, Father's Day is bittersweet."

And finally, I would like to include a poem for the dads:

My daddy is survivor too... 

My daddy is a survivor too
which is no surprise to me.
He's always been like a lighthouse
that helps you cross a stormy sea.
But, I walk with my daddy each day to lift him when he's down.
I wipe the tears he hides from others;
He cries when no one's around.
I watch him sit up late at night with my picture in his hand.
He cries as he tries to grieve alone, and wishes he could understand.
My daddy is like a tower of strength.
He's the greatest of them all!
But, there are times when he needs to cry...
Please be there when he falls.
Hold his hand or pat his shoulder...
And tell him it's OK.
Be his strength when he's sad,
Help him mourn in his own way.
Now, as I watch over my precious dad from the Heavens up above...
I'm so proud that he's a survivor... And, I can still feel his love.
~Author unknown

Happy Father's Day!

Quotes to live by

May flew by for me. Mainly because I wasn't home. I got to go to Indiana to see family, turned 29, went to sunny San Diego for a nice little vacation with Brent, and then took our boat to Truman Lake in Missouri and had a fun time there hanging out with my brother-in-law Eric. All these distractions were great, but left me little time to knit as much as I wanted. But now that I am home, I am back into the routine of knitting a bit everyday.

Two quotes have been sticking with me a lot lately and I thought I would share them and what they mean to me.

"You never know what kind of pain people are walking around with."
~Nate Berkus

A few months after Jackson died, I was watching "The Oprah Show." Nate Berkus, an interior designer and a regular on the show, was helping a family on the episode babysit and clean up their house. Anyway, Nate was in Thailand when the Tsunami hit in 2004. Nate survived, but his partner, Fernando Bengoechea, did not. During the show, Oprah asked how he was doing and what he's learned 5 years after the tragedy. Nate said something to the effect of "You never know what kind of pain people are walking around with." This quote has stuck with me ever since watching the show. How true this is. When you start to think about it, most people have been through something difficult in their lives -- whether it is a loss, abuse, illness, tough economic times, etc ... -- life is hard. Probably when you first meet someone (or even meeting someone after several times) you probably have no idea what they have been through. On the outside, they can smile, laugh, make small talk and seem fine, but you never know what someone might be really feeling. This has given me even more reason to be nice to anyone I meet. I've always tried to do this, but now that I've been through what I have this rings true more than ever. I want to encourage you to do the same. So when you're out in the world, always remember "you never know what kind of pain people are walking around with."

"Do not worry about the things you cannot control."
~Laurie Wood

Laurie is in my support group. It is possible she may not even realize she said this, but last month when we got together, she did -- and it has stuck with me. Another mantra I try to tell myself every day. Mainly because I need too. Since Jackson's death, my worry and anxiety levels have been a lot higher. I don't know if they will stay this way for the rest of my life, but telling myself not to worry about the things I cannot control has been helpful. I wish I could have prevented Jackson from dying, but I couldn't. And I know I cannot control lots of things, but boy would I like too! Anyway, Laurie, thank you for saying this to me. It has been so helpful for me to repeat this daily!

If you have any quotes you would like to share, I would love to hear them. I am always looking for good quotes/sayings to add to my page! And, as always, thanks for the support.