Dickens said it well

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Dickens really had quite the opening line didn’t he? Kind of describes my year in a nutshell.

2010 holidays were THE worst. Mother’s Day wasn’t quite the same. Father’s Day was painful. Our anniversary brought a wave of emotions that rocked me like no other. Independence Day and fireworks just didn’t seem so spectacular this year. The Cordova Descendent Family Reunion was bittersweet and tears were shed. The hot days of summer were different without him here to take a trip or two to the beach in Mexico for some R&R. His birthday was celebrated in an emotional scattering of ashes in Cholla Bay. Halloween….my favorite fun day. I could always count on him to shake his head and laugh at my usually ridiculous homemade costume but he wasn’t here. Thanksgiving brought a few tears as I worried about making his gravy and hearing our son offer thanks around the table. My birthday was, well, different. The Christmas holiday has been among the most difficult of times. I felt it important to hold tight to the traditions he loved so much. The huge Douglas Fir purchased from the same lot year after year, the same home baked holiday treats, the tamales, the Navarro family boozy eggnog, watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve, having all the kids here on Christmas morning and watching their faces as they go through the stockings and open their presents.

Yes, 2010 brought me the worst imaginable moments of my entire life. But it also brought immeasurable joy.

We all lived true to what was most important to him. Family. True and simple. Money, success, material things….they didn’t really matter to him. The thing closest to his heart was the love of family.

2010 holidays were amazing and filled with the love of family. Mother’s Day….my kids made sure I felt loved and appreciated. On Father’s Day we felt the love as we gathered as a family for a King crab leg extravaganza while the Open played in the background. Our anniversary was beautifully acknowledged as I received flowers and a great night out with my two loving girls. Independence Day was a blast as we watched the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix as guests of the Diamondback organization. The Cordova Descendent Family Reunion was an amazing celebration of the lives and loves created by those who have passed on like Grandpa Raymond, Grandma Lela, Corky, Auntie Toni, Uncle Bob, Buford, my beautiful husband and father of my children Al, and many, many other fabulous family members who are still with us. The hot days of summer meant creating something new as I brought a couple of friends to the beach in Mexico where we celebrated our own lives and friendship playing in the sun and surf. We rejoiced in the familiarity that is Mexico for his birthday as a large family unit all spending a few days in the house on the beach where our daughter Lesley was married and reminisced about good times. Halloween was fun and I felt the love of family and friends as my costume made people shake their heads and laugh. The gravy was replicated, the meal amazing and my entire family gathered around the Thanksgiving table as Marshall offered words of thanks and appreciation over what his father taught him (and all of us); that family is the most important thing in life. My birthday was celebrated with a fun filled night of pizza, beer and family. The Christmas holiday was something to behold. Traditions were upheld and appreciated. Family gathered on both the eve and day of Christmas and it was warm, inviting and full of the love of family. A new family focus for Christmas is in the forefront; that focus is on children. He now has two gorgeous granddaughters and that means two more members of a loving family that will forever be a part of him.

So with just two more milestones ahead in this time of unusual firsts (New Years and the anniversary of his passing), I know I can get through it because he taught us well. Yes, it’s been the best of times, it’s been the worst of times. But the future holds so much promise thanks to what he taught us. The love of family.