A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, Judy, over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

My uncle, HelpfulGrammy's only brother, passed away on Friday, at the young age of 65. Today's Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings is in honor of my dear uncle.

1) I'm thankful for a beautiful celebration of my uncle's life. There were easily over 1500 people at his viewing Monday evening. There were also many who came for the funeral on Tuesday morning. My uncle, an avid baseball fan, player, & coach, wanted his funeral to reflect that. So, he was dressed in his complete (& I mean COMPLETE!) uniform, we sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", the pallbearers were former players he coached, while two other former players spoke, & my cousin (his only son) read "Casey at the Bat".

2) I'm thankful for the faith & strength I've seen in my aunt & cousins this past week & a half w/ my uncle's hospitalization & passing. They & their spouses all have such strong faith in God & I know they'll need to draw upon that strength over the next year.

3) I'm thankful for the many memories I have of my uncle...family reunions, bonfires at their home, holiday celebrations, & so much more.

4) I'm thankful for the many people who came together to help put his funeral & luncheon together, making it easier on the family.

5) I'm thankful for the kind, humble spirit of my uncle. For all the activities, organizations, & experiences he was involved in, he easily could have been pompous & arrogant. Yet, through it all, he was a loving, humble man...a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, son, & friend to many. The examples he set will continue in all who knew him.