Author: janep38

My birthday today has brought back a flood of memories from 1996. We moved to Texas in July of 1995 so 1996 would be my first leap year birthday in Texas. My mother decided to visit us around my birthday. It would be the only time she flew to Texas by herself. My Dad had passed away in July 1995 so she was traveling by herself. She would make one more flight to Florida before deciding to forego any more trips. Troy decided to get me a black schnauzer for my birthday, she was a beauty, first schnauzer for me. He named her Scooter because she was always scooting my shoes around. He also got me a cross necklace and ring with my birthstone. My Mother brought me a porcelain doll. A lot has happened in those 28 years since that birthday. A lot of sadness yet good too. Troy would be amazed at all that has happened. Of all those people who helped me celebrate that birthday, only one remains, our daughter. Thank you Ashley for being a constant in my life, love you.

Thank God I’m here for another birthday. It’s a strange feeling when your birthday is skipped and appears every fourth year. I still get comments from people about it. I have my newspaper article from when I turned 8 years old. My one shot of stardom lol. My few moments of fame. I read today where the odds of a woman having a baby on February 29 is 1 in 1461. I remember my mom saying she wished I would wait till March 1 to make my entrance. Sorry Mom! I don’t know, I think my birthday is a little bit of special!

Had dinner tonight with our people. There were several new ones there sharing their story. A lot of tears. All members of the club no one wants to be in. We were all forced to join. And at some point everyone will be forced to join if they are married. No one is getting around it unfortunately. It’s going to be ten years this year for Troy’s passing. It’s always going to be a part of my life. I’ll always love him. I’m thankful for those people in my life who are there for me. Thank you!

February has arrived
and this year, it brings an extra day.

To many, this might seem like ‘just a day’.

But to others, it’s a birth date or an anniversary that comes around only once every four years. Like the sun rising on a fairy tale land that will go to sleep for another thousand days come sunset.

To some, it is ‘just a day’.

But without that day,
after a while
our spring would become summer
and our autumn would become winter
and after 750 years, our seasons would have swapped completely.

So it is not ‘just a day’.

It is 24 hours that arrive without fanfare to keep the world on track.

It is a day that creeps in quietly to help people celebrate their life or their love.

It is a day that reminds us that not everything in life has to be loud and ever-present for it to be important. Some things can sail in on a breeze and sail out just as quickly, but it doesn’t mean they don’t have the power to change the direction of the wind or to keep the tide turning as it should.

February has arrived, bringing with it an extra day.

It is just a day.
Just one day.

But my goodness,
what a difference a day can make.

Becky Hemsley 2024
Incredible artwork by June Leeloo 🤍

A very dedicated co-worker passed away a week ago. He will be missed and very hard to replace. His dedication to his job was above and beyond. My heart goes out to his young daughter who will miss out on growing up with her father. It was obvious that he was also a dedicated father. Just another reminder of how quickly our lives can change. We can be gone in the blink of an eye. So hold your loved ones close.

Missing you Dad, all your wisdom. Thanks for all the traits you instilled in me. Thanks for sharing with me your experiences in the Army. All the things you went through, being injured. I really admire you. You never complained about all you went through at such a young age. I’m just so glad you opened up to me, we became so close. I’m glad I was able to help you get your war medals restored. I have them now and I treasure them. Love you Dad.

It’s really windy tonight so maybe that’s what woke me up. Sailor is resting after his week of being sick. Sailors sickness brought back memories of Scooter. She was always getting pancreatitis. It’s very painful for them, I was afraid we might lose Sailor Blue. So thankful that he’s back to his old self. I miss Lucy more than I can say. I had to give her bed away because it was too painful to look at it and she wasn’t there. I’ve noticed lately that a lot of my friends have had to say goodbye to their fur babies. I’m looking at RV’s. That’s probably the route I’m going to take. Going to look at one in Plano. I must be moving on as the song says. Im finally finished boxing up other people’s things. Ashley told me she enjoyed going through her sports memorabilia and high school momentos. Troy made her a lot of books with her sport info and he laminated all the newspaper articles about her. She was an awesome athlete. I’m glad he did that for her. He loved doing the sports with her. There was no place he would rather be. Well, hopefully I can get back to sleep now. It’s always nice going down memory lane. Never know what you will run into.

Been working the last week or so on boxing up items left behind. They aren’t mine and I don’t see why they should be taking up space here. I won’t take them when I move so I’ll give others a chance to get them or I will dispose of them. There were a lot of pictures of people I don’t know. I kept all my Grandmas letters to my aunt. And letters from Charles to my Aunt. He loved her so much, anyone could see that. Sad that he died at such a young age. It devastated my aunt. She found love again years later with someone who actually knew Charles. Reading the letters brought back many memories. I miss them all so much, but I thank them for the memories they gave me. They are priceless.

Had an awesome Christmas with Ashley and John. We had lots of laughs and watched several movies. It was so nice to share the day with them. Life is so short it’s important to share it with those you love. We are making more memories. I treasure my memories. They bring me comfort in times of sadness. I no longer cry every time I remember my life with Troy. The memories make me happy. I have so many memories of our life together, I can never run out of them. Sometimes I cry but now I no longer cry every time, I now smile and sometimes laugh at the good times we enjoyed. Grief is forever changing.

I’m being flooded with memories of Christmas past. Troy loved Christmas and he was always one of those last minute shoppers. He loved shopping at the last minute. I just saw a picture of Ashley and John. She’s so beautiful. Her hair is the longest it’s ever been. Troy would be so proud of her. She’s kind too. We had our differences in the past but she’s a wonderful, nice person. I’m looking forward to spending Christmas with them. We always reminisce about Christmas past. I know Troy will be there in spirit. I’m still missing my Lucy so much. I look at her bed and it’s empty. Miss you my Lucy Goosy!