My Mom Died

My mom died after a long illness on January 24, 2010. I've made several trips back and forth to Amarillo to see her this year and each time I went, it was like watching a candle slowly burning out. The last time I saw her in December, her flame was just barely flickering. On the morning that she died, I was with one of my clients in labor. We didn't know if the baby was a boy or a girl. It turned out to be a girl and I thought that was kind of neat that it was a girl to replace the girl I was losing. Mama suffered a lot the last two months of her life, and I'm glad the suffering is over. I like to think she is in heaven with her mom and dad and brothers who died before her.
We had a great memorial service and funeral for her. My brother and I spoke at the funeral because mama didn't have a church or pastor. It turned out to be very intimate and personal and I'm glad we did it that way. She was buried next to her mom and dad and husband at an old cemetery in Claude, Texas.
I feel very blessed and loved by all the calls, e-mails, and cards my friends have sent. I am lucky to have so many people who care about me and that I care about as well. That would make mama happy.

2010 New Year Letter and 2009 Wrap Up

Dear Friends, January 2010

Another year gone by and a new one to start over with! I’ve loved hearing from so many family and friends this Christmas season. And especially pictures of all the kids and families are such a treat. Thanks for taking the time to send your greetings.

I want to wish all of you Happy New 2010. I hope it will be a good year for us all. Here’s a few of the highlights of our family in 2009.

· Bonham graduated from high school! He was surprised we made such a big deal about it. He said he thought he had to.

· Took a summer vacation to South Padre Island in July. It was great.

· Anson and I went to see a Bruce Springsteen concert in April. I had to twist his arm to go, but he admitted it was a great concert. I loved it.

· In September, Luke, Abbey, Travis, and Brenda came home from Oregon after 2 ½ years. It’s been wonderful to have them home again.

· Luke left in early December to work at Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah. He’s happy skiing every day.

· Had a Griggs family reunion at our house in March. Had a great turn out. First Griggs reunion in 25 years!

· I got to go to a great midwife conference in Pacific Grove, California (near Monterey) in October. It was really wonderful and I would heartily endorse Pacific Grove as a vacation destination.

· We took in a little stray sheltie dog and named him PupPup. He died from heart worms in November. We are still sad about it.

· George went hunting and got a mule deer. Come see us and we’ll give you a package of meat.

· Jackie helped with 86 babies- 46 girls and 40 boys. The birth center is doing well. I still love what I do and it keeps me very busy!

· Travis and Brenda are living in the little house behind our house. It is wonderful to have them so close.

· We got to go to several movies, concerts, talks, home tours, Astros games, and a canoe trip this year. Bonham and I went for a weekend in Austin to all our favorite restaurants.

· Anson got his drivers license and took over Travis’ old red El Camino.

· Planted 8 fruit trees on our property. A tough year for little trees to start out. No rain and temp above 100 for most of June.

· George stayed home most of 2009. Only a few trips to a job in Woodward, Oklahoma. His work decided he is too important to let him travel much.

· I stuck with my goal for 2009 and went to the library at least once a month. I read a lot of books this year-mostly about the Holocaust.

· Anson is doing great in 11^th grade at a brand new just built high school. He was born to be a teenager and doing a good job at it.

· Bonham is going on a mission for our church to California (San Jose area). He will be working with Spanish speaking people. He is leaving early February for two years. He is very excited and looking forward to it.

This year is starting out sadly for me. I just got back from Amarillo to see my mom. She is very sick and I think that is probably the last time I will see her. She is 82 and her health has declined steadily since she had a bad car wreck about seven years ago. It is very sad to see her in so much pain and I hope this will not last long. I feel torn between staying there and being in Houston to see after my own family and my clients having babies. I just try to think about mama being with her family members who have passed before her and how happy that would be. Dying is part of living. It’s also like birth-it happens in it’s own time.

As you can see, the boys are growing up and we are growing older. We are so proud of each one of them. We have a lot to be thankful for. We hope to see you all this year.

With love,

Jackie and the boys

PS. Here’s my blog sites: www.lifeofamidwife.blogspot.com, www.bayareabirths.blogspot.com