The Allens, Then and Now: Gratitude

Michael,

With each passing month and year since your absence, I have been met with unsurprising challenges. This past year has been no different. Sometimes it's pretty easy to focus on the disappointment and hurt of life.

But today is Thanksgiving day, and I want to make a point of focusing on the positive, even if for a moment.
I went to a neighbor's funeral last week and this poem was written in the program:

I'm Free
Author unknown

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free
I'm following the path God has laid, you see.
I took His hand when I heard him call
I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day
To laugh, to love, to work, to play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way
I found that peace at the close of day.

If my parting has left a void
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss
Oh yes, these things I too will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life's been full, I savored much
Good friends, good times, a loved one's touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief
Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.
Life up your hearts and peace to thee
God wanted me now; He set me free.

It's not easy, but I try to envision you saying those words, and I try to have that optimistic outlook on the life you lived.
Today, I am grateful for you. Grateful for the "remembered joy."

On the same note, a few weeks ago I had a dream...One I don't want to forget. I was with your family somewhere, feeling of your absence, (a common occurance), when all the sudden everyone told me to run outside and look at the sky. You were in plane, high in the sky, and you wrote a message to me. It said, "To my Lisa: Stay strong. I love you forever. See you soon." Afterwards, Cathi was talking to everyone about how you were on a mission and that the absence was hard, but she was so proud of you. She hugged me and told me to remember those words, that I would see you soon and that you were on a mission, doing good things. It's not uncommon for me to dream about you, but sometimes those dreams I feel are worth writing down. This was definitely one of them.

Some of my best memories of us together involves the Thanksgivings we shared.
We had a Thanksgiving in Arizona (we cooked the whole thing!), we had a few Thanksgivings at my parents', and we spent a Thanksgiving or two in Colorado with your Aunt Deedee and family. We'd also often have an early Thanksgiving dinner at Ron and Joann's the week before turkey day.

We took our famous family picture on our last Thanksgiving day. You loved the holiday, and you and I really knew how to revel in the relaxation of it all. I remember the oreo pie you loved to make during the holidays, and the awesome sweet potato casserole that your Dad and Joann always made. You loved that.

We watched a lot of good movies over the holidays (or we watched our recorded Office episodes on TiVo), we did a lot of good puzzles together, read books together in our travels, and you had an awesome Thanksgiving morning tradition with your brothers. I hope you were able to be with them this morning.

Thanks for the memories. :)