Auld Lang Syne

Happy New Year & Happy Birthday, furangel Gibson! It's been a few weeks since I've last posted and what a roller coaster of a ride it has been. Some of it pretty wonderful, and some tragically sad, which led to my blogging absence during the holiday season. It seems along with our return, the new year, and in keeping with the theme of  "Auld Lang Syne," it is very appropriate that we return today on a Flashback Friday and on what would have been Gibson's 11th Birthday, with a recap of our holiday, and a tribute to family members no longer with us.


With Gibson always in our thoughts, the rest of the FiveSibes patiently awaited Santa Paws' arrival on Christmas! They also have been adjusting to having a newborn baby in the house (see my 4Knines article on "How to Prepare Your Dogs for a Newborn Baby")! It has been a fun and exciting time for all here.

I have been so in love with my new grandson, Cody, enjoying spending time together, and celebrating his first holiday season! What a special time of year, and even more so with a precious, beautiful little baby boy! He is such a joy and we are so blessed to have him!

Then the roller coaster spun out of control when, tragically, on December 21st, my nephew, Matthew, passed away suddenly at the young age of 33. He had just moved back to our area and he had arranged with my daughter to come over to meet his new little baby cousin and have dinner with us, when we received the horrible call that while he had been out looking for his missing dog, he suddenly passed away. To say the world suddenly spun off its axis is a total understatement. As the holiday season was in full glory all around us, this handsome, young man was with us no more. No more smiles, no more laughs, no more holidays for him. With his sister and friends coming in from out of town and Christmas in four days, he would not be laid to rest until after the holiday. So while we were enjoying the high of having our beautiful new grandson here for Christmas, we also hit the low of losing Matthew. His services were held after Christmas, and we all tried to hold on to that infectious smile of his, knowing he would not be happy that we were all sad. He would be so happy to know his dog was found at the shelter and is now living forever with his father and family. Matthew would want us to remember how he embraced life, and always smile brightly when we think of him.

Then it was New Year's and time to once again celebrate and enjoy Cody's first New Year with us and spend time with family who had traveled from out of town to ring in the new year with us. 

We did celebrate in the blessing of this new beautiful baby in our family, as well as being together. New Year's Day was a double-treat as it also marked Cody's one-month Birthday! We celebrated with my making my Mom's recipe for her traditional New Year's Day dinner of Sauerbrauten and potato balls, which helped keep her near and share in the memories of holidays past.

Throughout the season, our missing loved ones were never far from our thoughts...dear Matthew this year, and my beloved mother and Gibson last year at this time. It has indeed been an emotional roller coaster ride for over a year now, especially the tail end of 2015 and 2016, and the beginning of 2017. It is taking a little bit, both emotionally and mentally, to get back in the groove, but I know it is a process and it will happen all in its own time. Always remember to enjoy life's small moments, for they do indeed become cherished memories. 

Since we missed celebrating the holidays here on our blog, I'd like to wish a belated Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all our readers. May 2017 be a healthy, prosperous, and very Happy New Year for all of us and our families.

And since it is Gibson's birthday and Flashback Friday, we are kicking off the new year with this special video of Gibson from 2 years ago, on what was his 9th birthday! Oh, what fun times we had and how the ice cream cake was the highlight of his day! Happy Birthday my sweet boy. Hope you are having a fun day filled with snow zoomies and lots of friends, North of the Rainbow Bridge. Miss you for always.

    

 The FiveSibes celebrating Gibson's 9th Birthday on January 6, 2015
 

Let us never forget family and friends who are gone, and all the times gone by..

"For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

We'll take a cup o'kindness yet,

For auld lang syne."

~Robert Burns

 

Flashback Fridays are brought to you by us - the FiveSibes - and our co-host, Love is being owned by a Husky, each Friday. We hope you'll find a photo or video from Memory Lane, post it, and link up to our Blog Hop each week! If you don't catch it on Friday, you can link up any time during the week! To catch our past Flashbacks, just enter "Flashback Friday" in the search box. We hope you'll come join us!