All dear friends and family,
We cannot express the gratitude we feel for all of the support from everyone. The cards, donations, meals, gifts, texts, phone calls, messages... they all mean so much. They say it "takes a village to raise a child", and I now see how it takes a community to support a grieving family. We truly feel and have felt the love and prayers from everyone over this past 2 1/2 years. All of you mean so much to us and all the support we were given will never be forgotten. Neighbors, friends, family and colleagues are the only way my children and I got through. We have a long way to go and the pain is so raw it physically hurts, but to know that we always have someone behind us keeps us standing and moving forward.
This will be our last Caring Bridge journal entry. I have copied and pasted my son's eulogy that he gave at our family graveside ceremony. Many of you were able to hear my daughter give her speech at the Celebration of Life for Chris but I also thought my son's words meant so much that I wanted to share them below. He so perfectly described how the last 2 1/2 years have been and how we will now try to find light in our lives.
A great man will always be with us. Love you all!
During the last 2.5 years I was never able to escape the reality of my Father’s disease. The knowledge of what lay ahead and the suffering I witnessed surrounded my mind like a black fog, inescapable and suffocating. I would often find myself in deep reflection, contemplating the unavoidable path in front of my family. I didn’t know how to accept that I was unable to change the outcome. I would lay awake at night agonizing over my powerlessness and sorrow.
Eventually I realized that these thoughts were pointless. I slowly began to accept that the vast majority of my life and the life of the ones I love will always be outside of my control. As I moved towards this acceptance a profound sense of gratitude grew within me.
The truth is we are all so incredibly lucky to be here. The complex circumstances and sequences of events that have led us all to be here in a universe so vast are truly incredible. Even luckier are we to have had someone like my father in our lives.
I’ve never been able to fully put into words the impact my father had on me. Those feelings are difficult to accurately express. What I can say is I watched him be an amazing father, husband, brother, and friend. He touched the lives of so many, and taught me more than he could ever realize. I am sorry that he is gone, but more importantly I am thankful that he was here.
For the first time in a long time the fog is beginning to part and I can see the sun again. I hope you all can see it too.
