The true meaning of Christmas...and a delightful surprise exactly one week ago...

This entry is being done...in Bettendorf, where my brother and his wife live. I'm just staying at a hotel, one that I like very much. :)

Yep, I'm staying in the Quad Cities for the holiday. If the weather holds, I go home tomorrow to get things in order there, and prepare for next summer.

That's right, faithful readers! I did finish the process of applying for the Nauvoo Pageant for next year (finished it a couple of weeks before Mom died), and exactly one week ago today, I got the news via email.

I've been accepted into the pageant to serve in the Red Cast for next summer. It means I'll be going to Nauvoo at the end of June into early July. I was shocked to find out that I'd been accepted. It was the first time I'd finished an application and I really didn't think I'd be accepted. However, I've come to see that there's a reason the Lord needs me in Nauvoo during that time, so I'm going to be exercising some faith and work toward getting there.

It's also a little bittersweet, as is the holiday, because I imagined Mom still being here for it. I find myself wondering what it would be like to have Mom come down to Nauvoo for a couple of nights to see me perform in the pageant, have her do my hair up in the 1800's styles, have her around to call and vent about some difficulties in the rehearsal process that might come up. But I know it's not to be. Besides, knowing my Mom, she'll fight tooth and nail to be there in spirit.

Because we're dealing with our loss of her this year, it made me find the real spirit of Christmas and the real meaning. We're celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and all He did for us, including dying on the cross so that we could be able to go back to our Heavenly Father. It also means family spending good time together, which is something I'm going to have to work on, since I'm not really big on the big family gatherings yet. It will take some time.

Beannachtai na Nollaig! Nollaig shona duit!

Slan go foill...

The start of a new term...and a devastating loss...

I survived my first term at Kaplan and am ready to take on the second, complete with two online classes...but Mom won't be with me, at least not in body.

She passed away a few days after I did my final exams. It was a blessing because she was in so much pain at the end. It was time for her to go home to her Heavenly Father, but I miss her so much!

In late October, she had taken a fall at home (a few days after I'd been there for the weekend!), and Dad realized that she could no longer be at home. As a result, we had her put in a nursing home in Davenport and there she stayed until she finally passed away. Dan, Dave, and I visited her when we could.

I love you, Mom, forever...

Slan go foill...