Recap

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for the Fedell's. July 4th was a very full day to say the least. We celebrated our baby boy turning 1. We lost his name sake great grandfather. Talk about conflicting emotions! After finishing up a little small party for my new 1 yr old, we immediately got in contact with our loved ones in MI. We booked our tickets home at 11:30pm that night and flew out the next day by 4pm. It normally takes me a week to prepare for a trip home, the flight and everything else one needs to do. We did it in less than 12 hrs. Hectic, but we did it.

Due to flight prices, we flew in on Sunday and left that Saturday. It was a good thing we got in on Sunday, as Ryan helped his mother and grandmother plan the entire funeral on Monday. I was so proud of my husband. He took charge, and took all the worry away from him mom and grandma, who were still only 48 hrs into losing their father/husband. His oldest brother,wife and two kids came, as well as his other brother. It was good to see all of them, since it had been over a year since we last saw them. It is good to be with family in that type of situation.

The funeral was beautiful. It was challenging to me as well. The church was packed out with people from all ages and all times of Jack's life. Everyone talked about how he had dramatically touched their lives. The thing that impacted me so much was what they were talking about. It was not how funny he was (which is true) or how nice he was (also very true) but they talked about the deep character of the man. His attributes were the fruits of the spirit. He was patient, he was kind, he was selfless, he kept no record of wrong, he loved unconditionally. He actually truly listened to people. Not one single person had anything bad to say. One story brought tears to my eyes as well as everyone else's in the room. His former pastor stood up and said how one Sunday night that nothing particularly important was happening, he saw Jack kneeling at the altar with his hands over his ears. After the service, Pastor Jeffrey asked him what he was doing. He said, " Pastor, sometimes you just need to shut everything else out and just listen to the Lord." The thing is, this was not a one time deal. It was a regular occurrence. It was inspiring. It challenged me to live my life like that. To be known for my character and actions and not just my words. I feel so blessed to have been a part of his life and i was so proud of the man he was. I can't wait to see him again one day.

We spent the remainder of the week with family. Grandpa Jack would have been very proud. His great grandchildren spent much of their time playing his old keyboard. Jack loved music. It was a part of him. He was an incredible jazz drummer, but also played the upright and electric bass. His gift for music was passed on to my hubby, and from the looks of it, my son. My little Jack loves music as well. Here is a happy little picture of two of the cutest boys i know!

We came home and promptly slept all of Sunday away. It was much, much, much needed. I will be very happy to stay home for awhile and just be. I feel blessed to have been able to travel so much, but i am ready to enjoy a bit of this summer. Maybe take a break and not travel again till September...maybe.