Rough Day

Dear Jackie.

We all had a rough day today. Tyler's dog Scooter passed away. He had been with Tyler for 10 years. Tyler was with him when he passed. I told him he was in heaven with you, and I know that you will take great care of him. I told him at Christmas you would have him all groomed and handsome for the holidays. He said I hope she plays ball with him. He loves to go fetch. I told him: absolutely!

Heather and I texted one another today. She has been having a rough time for the last week. She misses you so much. She said Sophie is learning new things every day. She is so cute; I just want to kiss those little cheeks of hers.

Lowell called me today. We don't talk too much anymore, but I think he is happy. He has been sick for a while. Please talk to God and ask him to help him get over this bug he's caught.

I miss you Jackie. I remember when our siblings Don, Ann and Barb passed and how you cried and said, “Life goes on. We have lost two sisters and a brother, but life goes on?” You were mad and could not understand how we could all go on without them, but you knew that life had to go on. I guess I need to know how to do that now. I loved Donnie and Ann—she was a lot like you. And Barb—she was the ‘matter-of-fact’ lady who got a lot of respect from the family. But she was fun and loving, too.

It's hard not to feel bad if I smile or have a good day. You Jackie, you have always been such a big part of my life. Even when we were mad at each other, we still checked in with someone to find out how the other was doing. It seems so silly now. You were always the first person I called if I had good news, bad news or was just mad at Mike. Even if I just had a bad day at work, it was you I called. You did the same with me.

You are going to think this is funny, since we both have a spelling problem, but Joshua read your blog and said, “Mom, if you want me to, I can proofread your blog and spell check and put the punctuation marks where they belong.” I can hear your response now, “Well Sharon, he just wants to help.”

All your brothers and sisters’ kids loved you too. I don't believe any of the rest of us siblings can say that about ourselves. It was because you made each one feel special and important. You were silly Aunt Jackie. I know my boys thought the world of you. Even Tyler and Courtney talked about you all the time and they only saw you a couple of times, but you left a mark on them, which everyone loved about you.