Thanks

It has been a hectic week or so but we are returning to "normal." As some of you know my dad has been battling the effects of  Lewy Body dementia for the past 3-4 years. We describe Lewy Body as a " bad " combination of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Definitely not something you want anyone to have and especially your 67 year old father. Over the past 3 years we have had to watch as our father's body slowly shuts down.

At times his mind would be running through quadratic equations (although I have heard of quadratic equations ALL my life I still don't have a clue what one is) while his leg muscles would forget how to contract so he could stand.  At times I think how surreal his life must have seemed.

A week ago we buried my father after about two months of heroic struggles on his part. Although Daddy was not perfect, the life lessons and character traits he taught and displayed to my sister and I are priceless. My neighbor growing up gave a wonderful eulogy based on a project he and my dad worked on one summer. It had nothing to do with awards, fame or status- it was as humble and unpretentious as my father. Funny how a drainage project could shape a young boys life but it truly did.

Thank you all for your sweet cards and comments; they truly do mean so much when you are going through this. Now our task is to try to return to normal but at the same time keeping all those treasured moments fresh.

Sometimes I think the store is really just all about fluff. I mean, I am not saving lives, shaping young mind's or even righting wrongs- I'm simply hawking paper, ribbon and glitter to make something "pretty."
However last Tuesday when my youngest, Emory, read from a scrapbook my grandmother had kept of my dad's childhood I realized it was much more than a "pretty." It was part of my father's legacy and something we had of my dad's even after his body had grown weary. At that moment the pieces came together and it made perfect sense to own Paper Crown.

So remember, you never know when the smallest of actions will have a monumental impact, all that time and energy spent in creating is doing so very much more than creating a " pretty"  and it is amazing what alternative uses you can find for those items around the house- this has nothing to do with today's post but very soon I will share a funny story about my oh so practical and goofy daddy.