Falling Away

Hello, friends. 

I sort of broke the promise I made in my last post to be back soon, didn't I? I have recently been updating my Facebook page,

but I have struggled to put together a post here with everything that has been happening. 

A lot has happened in the last two months. At the end of August we made a trip to California to visit my parents. My dad had been battling cancer for several years, and things were not looking good.


{My mom and dad have been together for 60 years! If you'd like to hear a little bit of their love story, you can read about it over here.}

While there, my sister and I took dad to the appointment where he got the report that we dreaded- his cancer would end his life here on earth. The following days were a mix of grief and disbelief, but we had a lot of good time spent with dad! We relived childhood memories, had a time of family worship and he told us things about his life that he wanted us to remember as "his story".  

We had anticipated that he would have several months. Mid-September the kids and I returned to Colorado to begin making preparations to move to California to be with my parents, and spend my dad's last months together. 




But on Thursday, October 2nd, my dad awoke disoriented and very sick and was taken by ambulance to the hospital where they discovered he had bleeding in his brain. This was completely unexpected. There was nothing to be done. In his weakened condition from the cancer treatment, he couldn't have survived surgery.
They sent him home with hospice care that night. The next day we decided (4 kids and I) that we would drive back to California on Saturday. We hit the road Saturday morning, but about 3 hours into a 12 hour drive, we got the call that he had taken his last breath. 

He was surrounded by my mom, brother, sister and most of his 13 grand kids as they showered him with love in his last hours.  

My dad was really more like a father figure to my two oldest daughters, even walking Tess down the aisle at her wedding. 

The following is a video slideshow that my nieces created in honor of their grandpa. I know many won't take the time to watch. It's full of personal photos...memories of someone you never even met. But as I watched this video at his memorial service, I was struck with this thought- when it's all said and done, what would I want to be in my 5 minute slideshow?

Something to think about.

In loving memory of my dad, Jim Tomer. We miss you like crazy! 



We're making the big move from Colorado to California in one week. I'm hoping to get back in the swing of posting regularly, but in the meantime, I'd love it if you would keep in touch over on Facebook!

Jeanette