Deanna's Sabbatical

Deanna writes:


Dearest Groop,

First off, I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, 
Kool Kwanzaa and A Happy New Year!  Hope I didn't miss anyone :)

My apologies to those of you who had birthdays between Nov 11 and now 
that have not been properly congratulated and harassed by your Den Mother.

I don't know how many times I have sat down to write this email and just 
couldn't get through it.

The last couple of months have been pretty rough on the Larimer household 
and it has been such a blow to my normal happy-go-lucky positive attitude 
that I have spent most of my time just trying to recover my old personality.

I have been struggling to keep up with the email and the only thing that 
has saved me are the Threadclips!!  Thank-you so much Mike!!

Anyway, I have decided that I need to take some time off from work and
 my responsibilities as Den Mother to the Groop so that I can focus my 
time and energy on family.

When my Mom had her surgery to remove her kidney on Nov 11th, the surgeons 
found her riddled with cancer.  None of which showed up on any of her diagnostics, 
so it was quite the shock to us.  My Mom is my best friend and I have been 
spending a lot of time with her and the rest of the family. Our "immediate family" 
all live here in the Denver area so it is not as hard as it might be.  The Doc says 
she has 3 to 6 months and no treatment is available that would extend her life 
more than a couple more months.  We are working with alternative methods and 
I am a strong believer in Miracles, so who knows what the future really holds.

Later in Nov, Jim's brother, who was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last 
year was downgraded to "end stage"and his DR's say there is nothing more 
they can do. He is also in the 3 to 6 month time frame.

The day before Thanksgiving, Jim's stepmom passed away unexpectedly and 
the combination of these 2 things put Jim's Dad right on the edge, as he has 
a history of heart problems and has already had 2 bypass surgeries.

So we spent the "holidays" in Illinois where Jim's family gathered for what 
we assume is the last time the whole family will be together.

A host of other things concerning the business has combined to really put us 
to the test.  I am happy to say that Jim and I are weathering it together and 
the strength of our love has passed the test of hardship and despair with flying 
colors.  I thank God everyday for that blessing and am working hard at looking 
towards a brighter future.

So, I just wanted to let you all know that you are in my thoughts 
and I am sorry that I have not been around to wish all you deserving
 members Happy Birthday.

I am sending a heartfelt wish to all of you for the New Year and 
the New Millennium for Health, Happiness and Joy in all you do.

With Love,

Deanna 






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