Izatys

So, here we are at one of the weeks that is so important to our family, the family vacation at our timeshare, Izatys.  It is a week that is anticipated and loved by all of us.  I'm currently the only one up, as last night was a very late night, filled with games, fun and laughter,  Actually, a couple more just woke up, but I think we'll all have naps this afternoon.

Gar is here this week.  He's in the memories, the laughter, everything that our family is doing.  When I got here on Friday, I drove up alone, because Gar and I always got here before everyone else so that we could get unpacked and have some quiet times before the troops arrived.  So, I got here early, walked through the house filled with good memories and cried.  They were good tears, cleansing tears.  That behind me, I was ready to unpack and enjoy the week with my family.

As I was driving up here, I was thinking about all of the past times at Izatys, and the fun that we have had.  We have been coming here for over ten years.  It's a great excuse to take a week of relative quiet before the demands of the holidays.  One of the things about Gar's death is how he died.  It happened with no warning, like a thief in the night.  There are pros and cons about dying this way, the biggest con being for those who are left behind.  I have so many memories about our life together, but none of them are captured memories.  That's a term I just coined.  A captured memory is one where you think "I had better remember everything about this moment, because it will never happen again."  A year ago at Izatys, we did not know that it would be our last time up here with Gar.  Is that a good thing, or a bad thing.  With both of my parents, they had chronic illnesses that we knew would take their life sometime before the next Christmas.  So, we captured Christmas memories to have in the future Christmases.  Those memories are good, but bittersweet.  As we move into this blessed time of the year, a time of God, family, and friends, I think I'm glad that I don't have captured memories from last year.  My memories of the holidays last year, starting with Izatys are good and happy, for the most part.  There were some family issues, but Gar and I got through them with each other.  I would not have wanted to celebrate the holidays or our vacation with Gar, knowing that it would be his last time with us. But for those of my friends who read this and have a loved one who's ill, capture that memory and enjoy it.  Then stop, and give your loved one a hug and tell them that you love them.   As for me, I will look back, stop and thank God for thirty years of fun, love and many wonderful memories with Gar.