well, Hello! Its been a while

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Hello, y'all!
It's been a while since I even looked at this website. To be honest, I was in a bit of a funk. July, August and September were very rough for me this year. October, was just busy.
In July of 2017, my oldest brother, Charles, passed away. We never lived under the same roof, he is much older than me. We would talk on the phone a couple of times a week. He was living in Tennessee and, I am in Texas. He would listen to the latest steps in our infertility process. He would cry with me.  He would check on me. He was the sweetest. Also, he had amazing eyes. They were always full of light and life. Charles' passing was unexpected and hit hard. He passed away two weeks before we were going to announce we were FINALLY pregnant.
Not being able to tell my brother about the baby hurt so bad. But, I believe he knows now.
Charles did have severe back issues. His first back surgery was in his late 20's, from what I'm told. I prayed for relief for him, but God needed him home. We do know he was in pain all the time. He walked with a cane and it looked painful. But, he never talked about it. He wanted to know about how you were doing. I celebrate the fact that he is no longer in pain.
August...what can I say about August.
In 2018 we knew things were getting worse with dad. We knew we needed to spend as much time as possible with him. We just didn't know what was going to happen, when it would happen or how, and who all was going to be there.This year, I was in a daze through August. We celebrated my dad's birthday and, a week later, mine.
September 2018, my dad passed away.
​My dad's passing is something I feel like I can't fully discuss, much like my infertility treatment. I do feel blessed that dad and Max got to meet. They had the opportunity to love on each other. I will forever be grateful for that. The look on my dad's face the moment he realized Max was his grandson is forever embedded in my mind. It was a look of pure joy. His eyes lit up and I knew he knew. My sweet daddy's hands began to shake and all he wanted was to hold and love on that baby. I am so grateful for that moment. 
It's been a year. A hard year. My Aunt Vickie said it best when she told me you don't get over them being gone, just use to them being gone. A short six months after dad passed her husband, my dad's brother, passed away. That felt surreal. He was a sweet man. But, dad and Uncle Donald are together again.

The Libby Community Center

This year, on dad's birthday, we went to Libby to the annual Community Homecoming. Libby is a small community outside of Nacogdoches. The community building was also the school house and the church. My dad is buried there, as well as, my grandparents and many other family members. There is a lot of history for our family there. 

Growing up, in the summer time, we would take some awesome road trips. It was kind of a game, but when ever someone spotted a historical marker we had to stop and read the sign. We have come across places where battles have taken place, where a community had once stood, where babies were born and people have died. 
My love for history comes from my parents and those road trips. I feel blessed that I have such amazing memories of my childhood. I pray every child has memories similar to mine.


xoxo
​Rebecca