December 22, 2008

To all our Dear Friends,
It is impossible to express in words the caring and support you have all given me and the family during this difficult time. I have never felt so wrapped in love and prayer as I have this past week.

The service Saturday was such a testimony to how Joe loved and it just filled me with gratitude that we had him for so long. Our house is filled with flowers and food(lots of food) and it is just a constant reminder that I am not alone.

I made my first call for help yesterday at the grocery store to Carnevales' to ask what kind of spumante Joe got at Christmas. He had a much better memory than me. So many times each day I want to ask him things, or tell him things. That is the hardest part right now.

Michael's family went back home for a few days to celebrate Christmas and repack to come back for the wedding. They will be here for Christmas dinner. We will celebrate our usual Christmas on the 23rd with Joe's favorite dish - Beef Wellington. Hope we can get it right without him. Christmas Eve I will go to Cassie and Kirk's after our Christmas Eve service and spend Christmas morning with them. Kev and Tracy will do their Christmas at home and Mark and Karen will go to Mark's Mom's and then we will all get back here for Christmas dinner. Then for most of you, you can take a deep breath but for us we have the rehearsal dinner on the 26th and the wedding on the 27th. And we will celebrate that Joe can watch from heaven with his friends and family that are there and as Karen said at the service " stand next to our Heavenly Father and admire their beautiful daughter".

Again, I thank all of you for your gifts of love, prayer, food support and contributions to our church and hospice. I will pray that God will bless each of you in a special way this Christmas for sharing His love with us in a very tangible way. Take care and God bless. Mary Anne

Hebrews 6:10 "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work or the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."