Marilyn leaves at 6 am. She will be missed!

Dear Family and Friends,
We rise at 4 in the morning for a 6 am departure from Oakland for Marilyn. Yes, she is going home. Marilyn is not used to much attention but has received an outpouring of affection and appreciation from all who meet her for her wonderful and caring work with Nan. She gave Nan the one on one love and care she needed during these last few months. She has been a positive influence for all of the family and has helped out so much, more than anyone not living here could have known. I am so happy that she gets to spend Christmas with her children in Rhode Island yet I already feel a void knowing she is leaving. She has been the go to person for so many things over the past few months. She can file, organize, repair, advise, counsel and fortify. This evening when a rep for a company which does collections for American Express spent 25 minutes telling me how terrible I was not to have the past due amount paid up in spite of my sputtered explanations, well I thought Marilyn was going to climb down the phone line and strangle the nice man. She has cared for this family like it was her own and has earned a place in our hearts that can never be forgotten. When God knew we were heading into tough times he tapped Marilyn and she responded. Thank you Marilyn, thank you from the bottom of a hundred hearts for your wonderful care and devoted love.

I spent last evening with Art and Connie, parked in their driveway. We had a great evening warmed by the designer fireplace and comfortable in new recliners. Then this morning Connie taught me how to make oatmeal with cloves of Cinnamon. Yummy. Thanks for such a great time you two.

I am still trying to make total sense out of my desk with orders to see, things to fix, people to call about financial matters to settle, I'm not short on work, just short on time to do it all.

Foremost on our minds is the Ahn family. We have seen an email from Sylvia which lets us know a memorial service will be held this Sunday at 3 at the Tracy SDA Church. I know it will be a joyful service yet tinged with sadness and a sense of great loss. I'm receiving calls from our Texas family wishing they could come back and attend the service, they feel so strongly about Steve and Sylvia. Steve touched and helped many lives in his lifetime with his faith, his brilliance and his talents. My life and the lives of all of our family members have been touched by his clever emails, the yearly CDs, the photos, the humor, the genuine interest he had in people and the fascination he had for life itself. I'm so blessed that my life was touched by the influence of Steve. Its a better life for it.

Please join me in praying for the Ahn family as this is a very difficult week with many things to take care of, people to talk to, mail to read and private moments of loss and adjusting to the new and difficult realities of being alone, of loss, of shock.

love

tim and marilyn