Dedicated to Poppy!

Good Afternoon,

I wanted to dedicate this card that I made for the ongoing challenge at Delightful Inspiration to a very special person in my life, my Father-in-law.  When Faith sent out this digi in Oct. I was in the middle of making my Thanksgiving cards and knowing I had until the 19th of the month, I decided to finish my Thanksgiving cards and make this card when I started on my Christmas cards the first of Nov.  Little did I know how things would get turned upside down.  On Oct. 30th we admitted my Father-in-law to the hospital with pneumonia, the doctors were optimistic that with a few days of treatment he would be fine.  That was not to be.  He had been battling other ailments for the last few months and he was just so weak that the pneumonia was just too much.  Early on the morning of Nov. 4th he took a turn for the worse and the next day he was put on a ventilator. For the rest of the week they tried various medications in hopes that he would recover but by Friday Nov. 9th it became very clear to us all,that he would not recover. My husband, sister-in-law, mother-in-law, niece and myself surrounded his bed in ICU and had a final prayer for him, told him how much we loved him and said our farewells.  When removed from the ventilator he slipped peaceful away from the pain he had endured for the last several years.  My Father-in-law was the minister at my church for over 20 years and had been interim pastor at several other churches in our area after his retirement.  He was very well thought of and beloved by many.  He loved snow, and anytime they were calling for snow in the mountains if he could he would load up and head for the hills.  When I sat down to work on this card my first thought was how much he loved snow and I knew this card was for him.  Poppy I hope that there is snow in heaven and that you are getting to enjoy it now.  We love you and will miss you!! This holiday season will be bittersweet for our family as we deal with this loss, it has been less than 3 years since we lost my father, so my boys are coping with the lost of both their grandfathers fairly close together.  For all of you I hope that this week of Thanksgiving will be wonderful and remember to cherish each and every memory that you create with your family.  Blessings and a Happy Thanksgiving!!