Haiku My Heart Friday: Grateful

Kind words of comfort
Help to ease the pain of loss;
Grateful for the love.

Two weeks ago tonight, I was sitting at this very computer composing a Friday haiku when my sister phoned to tell me our brother Craig had passed away.  The terminal cancer diagnosis he had received just before Christmas meant that this news was not completely unexpected but at the same time, it was a total shock to hear he had left us so soon.  Needless to say, that interrupted blog post didn't get published.

It has been a busy and emotional time since then.  I am so very grateful to all of those who have sent cards, emails, flowers, Facebook messages and texts and posted online offering words of comfort to myself and my family.  Anyone who has lost a loved one will tell you how much these messages mean to the recipients, each one a layer of warmth and love that wraps those of us who are suffering in a cocoon of caring.  Thank you all for your support at this difficult time.

The four of us: Janine, Jay, Craig and Cynthia

At the funeral last week, we didn't have very many pictures of us four siblings together (the older we got, the rarer it was to have us all together in front of a camera, unfortunately). I found a few more this week from the olden days (apologies for the not so perfect quality of these photos, I don't have a scanner, so they are photos of photos.)

First there were two of us, me and Craig:

Then Jay made three:

Love the angelic smile on baby Jay's face!

Then four:

With Grandpa Harrison

With Grandpa and Grandma Fawcett,
and the stockings she made (still being used all these years later!)

Grateful for old photographs, helping to preserve memories of days gone by and happier times.