Hello, friends.
This is not a food related post. This is about life outside my kitchen. As you remember, I was very excited to compete in The World Food Championships. However, life had other plans for us. If you follow my Facebook page, you’ll already know my Father-In-Law had a massive stroke the evening before we were scheduled to leave. We didn’t go to Vegas and unfortunately, we lost my Father-In-Law on November 13th. This was how the sky looked the night before he passed. Pretty isn’t it? Heaven was getting ready to welcome its newest angel…
My father-in-law was one of the most dynamic men I’ve ever known. He was always up for new experiences! He was so full of life and had a HUGE love for his family! He loved jokes and traveling. He was an incredible artist and could fix damn near anything. This is my favorite picture of us. It was taken two years ago at my nephews wedding…
This is my handsome husband with all his sisters and their Dad. You can see the laughter so prevalent in all our family gatherings… We will miss him tremendously.
The services are this weekend. It has been a very rough few weeks for the whole family. Tears are never far away, but time continues to move on. We never know when or how we’ll take our last breath. Moments like these make us realize our lives are so precious. Please tell your loved ones how important they are to you. Do it now. Don’t wait a second longer!
On that note, I want to tell you how thankful I am for all the support from everyone across my social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+) Perfect strangers reached out with stories and prayers..checking in on us and offering their condolences. I am amazed how we are able to connect over life and a few typed words on a page. It is incredibly humbling to think about people in other countries praying for us. The world is so small. I will never be able to express my gratitude for all your comments and notes. Really. It meant so much. Thank you!
As we begin to move forward again, I’ll be sharing the recipes I developed for The World Food Championships and some traditional family favorites. My wish for you is a happy and joyous holiday season. Where ever you live and whatever holidays you celebrate, take time to enjoy your family and friends. Life can change very quickly. Take LOTS of pictures, eat great food, share and cherish every single moment.
Thank you again for all your support. I am blessed beyond measure to have each of you in my life.
From my heart,
Sara
Sara, I was so sorry to read your post. It sounds as if your father-in-love was a really neat guy. As long as his family remembers him, talks about him, shares pictures of him, and shares memories of him, he’ll always be there. Death is just such a nasty thing to go through, especially for those who are left living. Cry as much as you need to; encourage your husband to cry as well. Laughter will also come – and it isn’t inappropriate to laugh, especially since you said your f-i-l loved laughter. This may sound trite, but it will get easier. You’ll find the raw wounds will heal over and life becomes more normal. It’ll never be the same again, but it will be easier and less empty and less hard.
You have been in my thoughts, Sara. He does sound like an angel, and my your hearts all be filled with the many lovely memories of this blessed man. Hugs.
Sara,
I’m sorry for your loss.
Sara, my love, I wish that my words could express the depth of my sorrow for your loss.
Those tears you’ve been shedding are critical to the healing of your heart. As painful as this loss is for all of you, you’ll likely need ears that listen and a shoulder to cry on for quite a while. Please know that I’m here for you… ♥