Always in my heart

It has been a long time since my last post--almost 3 years! I am surprised this blog is still here and available! However, I have been thinking about how much I enjoyed doing this and, well, let's do it.

So much has happened.

Let me start with the event that most affected me. In October of 2008, my niece, Thistle, was taken by the complications of Castleman's, the disease she lived with for several years. Yesterday I was looking at the beautiful blue sky and listening to Iris DeMent and this thought took my breath away: "She's gone." I have moments like this, a kind of heart clenching ache I can't move beyond.

When Thistle died, I worked through my grief by helping to organize the memorial, keeping my sister and her remaining daughter company, making a slide show and just trying to be helpful to my loved ones. This helps me get through my grief. Now, after more than a year I am still stopped by the thought, "she's gone."

Knowing Thistle and her wonderful willingness to try new things has encouraged me to do the same in my remaining years. I think she had a way of looking at the world through "artist eyes" and I try to do that as well. I am a better, certainly more interesting, and kinder person for it.