Jane is a Widow

My blog yesterday was about some funny memories of me and Troy. After he passed I didn’t think I would ever get to the day where memories would make me smile instead of cry. Grief is an ever changing journey. Some days some memories knock the wind out of me and other days they make me smile. And the amount of memories is infinite. I can grab a memory from 42 years and never run out. I’m so thankful I have them. They aren’t all good but that’s ok. They are our life together, through thick and thin. It wasn’t always easy but it was worth it. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. 💕

I went Christmas shopping yesterday and I chuckled to myself as I trekked through the stores. I was thinking of a few of the times I went Christmas shopping with Troy. He was notorious for waiting till the last minute. He said he loved smiling his way through all the grumpy people. One Christmas when I went shopping with him, we walked into the store and the sales lady asked does he always smile like this. I said he certainly does, he got it from his mother. Their personalities were so close. Another time we were walking through the Muncie Mall, he was smiling ear to ear. A woman coming towards us stopped right in front of Troy, turned around, and farted. She abruptly turned back around and was on her way. He just laughed and laughed. I’ve told this story so many times over the years, I thought it only fair to share it with you all.

Getting ready to leave for a Christmas dinner. 💕

Happy Heavenly Birthday to my Aunt Beulah. I miss her so much, more than words can say. She was like a mother to me, she never had any children but she always said I was the daughter she never had. She helped me so much after a surgery I had in 1986. I was unable to do much, and my mother didn’t want to help me so she told me to ask Aunt Beulah for help. I did, and she was more than happy to help with meals for us. I don’t know what I would have done without her. This resulted in me and her becoming very close, of course my mother wasn’t happy about that, but she was the one who really caused it. We were so close until she died. I always tried to get her to come down here and live with us but she always said she wanted to stay where she was. She used to tell me how awful it was being married to her first husband Cecil, who would beat on her all the time, he actually tried to choke her to death with a belt one night. She got away from him thank goodness and eventually married Charles. He was such a godsend. He was so good to her and everyone liked him. Unfortunately he died at age 49. Beulah was devastated after that, she found love again in later years with a man who had known Charles at one time. He was good to her but I know she always missed Charles. Love you Aunt Beulah until we meet again.

My father in law John passed away on November 25, 1988, at the age of 72. We had celebrated Thanksgiving and this would be the last time John would celebrate it with us. I met him in 1975 and he had really suffered with health problems through the years. He was recuperating in the hospital from open heart surgery in December of 1975. He often spoke of his growing up and how he spent it with different families. It was almost liked he was passed from one family to another. He died from throat cancer. But no matter how bad he felt he never complained and he was always glad to see us. He was such a great father and grandfather, and he’s been missed so much. Love you John.