Easter – April 21, 2003
Here are Shannon, Andy, and Mark getting ready for Easter 2003. As I recall, I was in Baikonur at the time and they wanted to help me feel a part of things at home, so they took a bunch of pictures of their activities for a few days. I loved getting them. Great Art courtesy of my good old SiPix camera, taken in the breakfast nook of our home in Virginia, and featuring my beautiful wife Shannon and our amazing youngest children Andy and Mark.
Another kind of quiet day today. The only time we got out of the house was to go to dinner. Which was a Japanese steakhouse with delicious food and the typical fun chef. So that was great. Otherwise, we relaxed, talked with family on the phone, watched a little TV, and relaxed.
Had a tough night and several emotional moments during the day. I think reality is finally really setting in for me. My life has changed. Shannon has gone on ahead and she’s not coming back. I’ve known that, of course, but I think I finally feel it. I grieve and grieve, and that changes nothing. I need to make a new life for myself, looking forward to great things to come while allowing my heart to remember the wonderful life we’ve had and all the happiness Shannon brought me. I think I’ve mentioned before that she left me the very most important thing of all – our amazing children and a legacy of love and kindness that will live in our hearts. I can build on that and make a bright future for all of us.
It’s still early – she passed away just two weeks ago yesterday. So the kids and I are allowed to grieve still. But at the same time, I’m starting to be ready to follow Shannon’s example yet again and start moving forward again.
To that end, I worked for a couple hours today. John needed some changes made to the PhotoDoc website, so I sat down and got them done. There’s lots more to do on that front, as well as a bunch of work to be done on Common Core Classroom. And then there are a bunch of changes I want to make to Morse Trainer – maybe even a way to monetize it just a little bit. I’m thinking unobtrusive ads here, but I don’t know for sure. Plus, Mark and I are working together on an Android development class. He caught up to me today, so we can start working on it together tomorrow. Lots to do, and I really need to be busy.
I think they cremated Shannon’s body on Friday evening, so I should be receiving the cremains soon. I’m so grateful her pain is over. That last month was especially hard for her as more and more things started to go wrong. She lived through so much.
My mom and I went through a few more of Shannon’s personal things today. Pretty much the only things left that hadn’t been sorted through in our bedroom were the “junk” drawers in her dresser and nightstand. We went through those and also her purse. There are some credit cards I need to take care of, so I left those out, and the rest of her little treasures are in a shoebox in my closet.
I found a photo album from our wedding and reception out in the garage today. What a treasure! We looked so young – especially me. What on earth was Shannon thinking? I guess she saw possibilities. Lucky thing for me that she did. That album is yet another treasure for me to cherish. I’ll have to see if I can figure out how to digitize some or all of those pictures without destroying the album.
And that’s it for now. See you tomorrow.
February 18th, 2014 at 7:16 am
I love that picture!! We had such a great time sharing Easter with you guys a couple of times in that house in Virginia. Brings back wonderful memories.
February 19th, 2014 at 8:15 am
There’s a spelling error in paragraph six. As for monetizing Morse Trainer, I suggest sponsor messages in Morse Code. “Be sure to drink your Ovaltine!”