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Monday, December 13, 2010

Oops! I had forgotten the Ballet Pictures!!!!!


(the momma here would be Mizmollye)

FAMILY
...............FAMILY
..............................FAMILY



Spending time with family is just PRICELESS isn't it?

I've always loved Christmas. The hustle, bustle, shopping, wrapping, carols, TV specials, parties, church events, Santa pictures, lights, the tree, decorations, mailing cards, receiving cards, baking, and just everything connected with this holly jolly, and holy season.

BUT....................................................

It felt all out of place for me this year. Approaching Thanksgiving our family began discussing the holidays and what we wanted to do this year. We found that we were all on the same page. After losing our beloved son and brother, Jake just shy of 6 months ago, we were all full of so many memories and while all very sweet and loving, the pain of facing this first Christmas without him here was just overwhelmingly sad. We began knocking around ideas and were in agreement on what we wanted to do this year. And Sisters I can tell you it has so far been wonderful and oh so rewarding and blessed for us.


Shreveport Symphony warming up for the Nutcracker performance of the Metropolitan Ballet


Ma and Pa Self before the ballet


Lori and her hubby Marc


Kane, who was Shari's date for the evening! (her oldest grandson)

Buddy living in Alabama was not going to be able to be here so that left Punkin and myself and the two girls and their husbands. What if we each planned a night during the month to spend time together and planned the fun along with meal and gifts of which we had already decided would be something we already had (re-gifting).

So.....I picked the first family event and I prepared a Gumbo dinner complete with baked sweet potatoes, chicken and sausage gumbo, hot garlic bread and pecan pie. Everyone got together here early in the evening and opened their presents and ate and then we went together to the Nutcracker Ballet. The girls loved it and I was so happy to be able to take all of us as a family to one of my favorite things about Christmas.

Shari was the next to host Family night and she had all of us to her house last Saturday night for Game Night. Her home glowed from all the beautiful decorations and candles lit. She and her daughter Emily



had worked so hard to present a magical setting for our get-together. She made red beans and rice with sausage, and her special tater tot casserole. For the sweet tooth she had yellow cake with chocolate frosting which little Luke helped ice, chocolate pie and pumpkin pie. But the hands down winner of the night was the mango iced tea! She re-gifted with sentimentality and tears were shed. We played Pictionary Man and a Shout and Pass game.


WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT CHARADES? And PD was a natural!

Lots of laughs, a few tears, many hugs, smiles and love filled the evening.



Now our next event will be this Friday night and Lori is hosting a Pizza party and comedy show with Tim Hawkins at her church. I'll take pictures and report on that after we get together.

By not shopping, we all had extra cash to do nice things for others and the girls chose the little shoe box gifts to the children in Haiti and they selected the age and sex of children they wanted to shop for and they ended up "adopting" way more than one child apiece and they were so blessed and happy with the opportunity of making children happy at Christmas. Punkin and I adopted a couple expecting their first child in January from the VOA, and it has been the most rewarding experience ever in helping make someone feel special and loved.

The girls and I are planning a surprise Donut party for the employees of all three of the Home Depot stores in our area as Jake worked at all three of the stores and many of you are aware of the magnitude of support we were given by Home Depot after Jake's death. So this is a very small way to be able to gift some smiles in an attempt to say "Thank You".

Our family has truly discovered Christmas this year and while uppermost in all our minds is the thought that Jake would have loved celebrating in this manner and "why oh why did we not do this while he was here", but we can't afford ourselves those hurtful thoughts and still know joy so we have chosen to just think that somehow we have learned to get our priorities in order as a gift to Jake.

Merry Christmas days and nights from Mizmollye and Punkin Darlin!

19 comments:

  1. Your post is so moving. I'm so glad that you all found a way to still celebrate Christmas but still hold Jake close to your hearts. The pictures are all so glowing---thanks for sharing such an intimate gathering.
    Ann

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  2. Oh Mollye ! I am so happy for you. I love Christmas and the nutcracker ballet,too.
    It is all about family .
    Merry Christmas,
    Dottie

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  3. Sweetie this will be a Christmas you'll remember forever and a day! Such wonderful memories :)
    ~victoria~

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  4. What a sweet and wonderful Christmas, Jake is smiling and so am I:) Love you my friend! Christmas is surely meaning something special where you are this year!

    HUGS!

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  5. I think you are doing a wonderful job.

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  6. What a wonderful way to share the message of Christmas!

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  7. Oh Molley....what wonderful ideas and blessings to one another and others!!! You amaze me, girl!

    We truly do carry the Spirit of CHRISTmas in our hearts, if HE rules our lives! What a rich storehouse of memories you have made and revisited.

    Blessings,
    Cheryl

    I think I'm going to link to this post when I get around to posting, if that's okay. I am truly awe struck!

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  8. What a wonderful blessing for your family to share and also a beautiful memorial to Jake. Blessings, Ann

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  9. Beautiful way to celebrate Mollye. Yes Jake would have loved it and that is a reason to continue in his memory doing what you love. Celebrating family and the life you all still have together.
    Merry Christmas Mollye and Punkin Darlin
    Big big jingle bell hugs !!!

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  10. Oh, Moylle, you have the real spirit of Christmas! The celebration of family is beautiful. Love the creativity!

    Blessings to you and your family! Merry Christmas! (can't wait to hear about the next event!)

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  11. I love how you are sharing Christmas this year with your family and helping others is such a beautiful thing to do.....Jake's spirit is with you dear Mollye and he will always live on in your hearts.....:-)Hugs

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  12. I know Jake is smiling down on all of you. You have taken such an unspeakable tragedy and turned it into such a wonderful blessing. I am so amazed for knowing you and how beautiful your soul is! I need to catch up with you. I am hoping you will come for a visit, perhaps when the weather is warmer. We do not have much snow but frigid temps. Love you my sister girl! Anne

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  13. Mom died two days before Thanksgiving so I've been a little out of the blogging scene for the months I cared for her.

    Christmas will be different this year, but it's nice to see how you've thrown yourself into the holidays. Good for you.

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  14. Molly thank you for the glimpse into your home, family and heart!! I love you dear sweet friend.

    I love that you all are drawing strength and loving on each other in such a beautiful way this Christmas.

    May God's presence, comfort and love be abundantly experienced this Christmas.

    Grace and peace

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  15. Dear Mollye, I've just gotten lost in your posts here and your other blog Jake's Story! I am moved and touched by all your posts and the fact that you have handled Jake's death with grace and gratitude. It certainly looks like you've celebrated December in a most wonderful way with family and friends, always keeping Jake's memory alive through your selfless acts of love and kindness. God bless you and yours this holiday season. I wish you peace, joy and comfort. Blessings, Tammy

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  16. Mollye, your Christmas ideas are so unique, logical, clever, etc! You know I've always been so amazed at how you've survived these past months....May you continue to find peace and joy in everything you do. (I especially love the re-gifting idea! Wish I could talk my family into THAT one!) :)

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  17. Mollye, on this second day of Christmas I'm dropping by to wish you a lovely holiday! I loved reading every word of this post. What a great idea this was!

    I have been sick and hence, slow to blog, but I couldn't let this season pass without wishing you all the love in my heart. And I wish you a very healthy, happy, and prosperous 2011!

    Love you SO much...

    XO,

    Sheila :-)

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  18. Hi there dear Mollye! I was just thinking about you and wanted you to know! Have a blessed day and big HUGS from Ganky:) Love to you and your family!

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  19. What a wonderful Christmas celebration you had--so much love with your family together.

    And someday, girlfriend, I want to come eat some of that gumbo! Hmmmmm....you do make my mouth water.

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