thanks

It's been a year and a bit since my dad died.  It's hard to believe that sometimes.  It hasn't been my favorite year, of course.  There's been loads of ups and downs.  One of the hardest things has been feeling like people have forgotten about it and that I'm just kind of on my own with my family, who are all also going through a rough time.  And I know that's okay - everyone has their own life and this is my own trial.  But still, it's nice to have people think of you from time to time.

In the month of May (which is my least favorite month, except for days with both a 3 and a 1 in them, for Shannon and Stevie) which I expected to be a hard month, this is what happened:
- I got a card in the mail.  I love getting real letters in the mail.  I always hope for something personal, but it doesn't happen very often, so it was lovely getting something to open and read and tell me that she hopes I'm doing well this month.
- I came home from school after taking a test that I knew I did awful on to find a lovely bouquet of flowers.  At first I was jealous of my roommate, but, oh how delightful to find they were for me!  (In honor of my dad's death - as a reminder that people care for me.) (I'm one of "those girls" that just really loves getting flowers.)
- I got a text from a fellow member of the Dead Father's Club saying he didn't want to be too "touchy feely" but if I every wanted to talk, I could.
- I got an email with a humorous condolence poem - again, just to let me know that they were thinking of me at this hard time.  (Did you know condolence poems can be humorous?  They can.)
- I got many calls from one of my dearest friends, just checking up on me.
- I got a message on my facebook wall, again, with condolences.
- My roommate is just pretty much kind and understanding all the time and always willing to listen to whatever seems to find it's way out of my mouth.

So pretty much all mediums of communication were utilized to help me know people were thinking of me.  I feel like I probably got a bunch of prayers too, even if the communication to me personally wasn't there.  So, all of you - thanks.  And thanks too, for everyone else for trying to understand, when I don't even understand it myself.  I know I've stood you up and let you down and just been generally disagreeable and unreliable.  In the words of Jackie Faber, "I am very hard on my friends."  So, thanks for sticking with me and letting me cry and helping me get through it, when it really is my own cross to bear.  Just knowing you're nearby helps more than you know.

Also, you should visit my sister's blog, because she has some pretty cool projects she's worked on.