A year later

It is a quiet morning in my house on this Saturday morning.  Everyone is still sleeping, including the dogs.  It is cold outside and I'm drinking my first cup of coffee.   This is a common Saturday morning scene in my house on cold February mornings.  After the year I've had it's good to know some things don't change.  It was this week last year that set in motion the changes that were coming, changes I never could have predicted.  As I approach the one year anniversary of dad's passing I miss him but mostly I am comforted that he is finally home and he has no more pain and suffering.  I think about him everyday and it's hard for me to imagine a time where a day will pass and I won't think about him.  The Ausili's move has been difficult to adjust to.  I miss them at my house on weekends.  I miss the four kids being together.  As time marches on I am acutely aware that all things change and yes, all good things eventually come to an end - at least on this side of heaven.  It's another reminder to enjoy each and every second of what life has to offer.  My mom's strokes were the final blow in what was a very difficult year.  Last year at this time we were planning her 67th birthday party.  I can still see her looking gorgeous in her bright yellow sweater on her 67th birthday, none of us having any clue what was on the horizon.  Mom's strokes were another reminder that life is precious and relationships are what matter most!