so today was the 10th anniversary of tom's death...before he died he used to tell me...it won't be so long before we're together...and i'd say...yeah, only 40-50 years...so, it's whittling down...not that i'm ready to go...but, i do miss tom...he was a great man, a great husband, wonderful father, son etc. etc...tom would be turning 53 tomorrow...in my retrospect of the last 10 years...my kids have all graduated from high school, 3 from college (kerry's still at it), 2 with graduate degrees. (russ is starting his)...we've added a few people to our family...a daughter and son in law (they both have graduated, jeff as an attorney)...almost 6 grandbabies....our family has doubled in size! i think he is proud of all of them...i know that i am proud of all of them....they have turned out fantastic...and now we have this new generation to watch and be entertained by.... we've had alot of adventures...alot of fun times together...we've had fun traveling...working hard...enjoying our lives...i think that's one thing that i learned from tom dying so young...you have to enjoy what you're doing...you have to be thankful for the life you have...be grateful for everyday....life's an amazing thing..it's not always easy...it's not always fun....but, every day is worth living...tom loved life..he worked hard and he played hard....he loved going to work everyday, he loved working with his dad and brother...he loved to golf, play tennis, run, bike...he enjoyed every minute...that's what we have to all remember...one of my favorite sayings is 'live, love, laugh'....that's what we need to be doing every single day....thanks tom for being my love...
Ten years already? What a nice post with such great thoughts we all should live by! I wonder if Neal remembers him in the nursery. Probably not, but I know that Tom loved the nursery which means he loved Neal as well.
ReplyDeleteYour words are a great tribute to Tom, and so is your life and the lives of your family. He made a big impact in the world even though his life was too short. We remember him with love.
ReplyDeleteJo... this post brings tears, I can't believe how much you've been through without having him visibly right by your side. I can't even fathom it. You guys are awesome & this is a great reminder to love every ounce of life! Uncle Tom was great, even when he made me eat ALL of my burrito when we went out to eat. I think he wanted to get his money's worth.
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful tribute and great words to live by. Tom did love life. I'll always remember how he commented on watching you and I paint a piece of furniture together. I thought he was kidding, but he wasn't, he said it was something to cherish, just watching sister working on a project together. He knew what was important.
ReplyDeleteRuss has that same mischievious look that he has now on his face in that picture when he was small. what a cute kid.
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