As I mentioned in my last post this is a very sad time for our family. I was going to post on Friday, the day of the Memorial Service, but, I feel I need to now. I am alone in the house she spent the last years of her life living being so wonderfully taken care of and loved by her daughter, Roxie and her husband Bobby, sitting remembering her. I only hope that I can give as much to them and my family when their time comes as they did as they deserve it.

Jenn's grandmother, De as she is affectionately know as was one of the kindest, funnest, strongest people I have ever had the priviledge of knowing. When I married Jenn I "inherited" a mother-in-law who was already a close friend and grandmother-in-law (who would kill me if I called her that!!) who accepted me 100% straight away.

I don't have the words to really express my love for De. We had so many blessed times together and were fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time together wherever we lived be it Texas, England, California or North Carolina. In fact, from the first time I visited Jenn and Roxie in Texas, in 1992, just as a friend, she welcomed me into her family. A will share a few brief memories over the years

A very precious, and, also sad one is the time I left after visiting them in June 1995. Her husband, Jenn's Pop, was really sick. As they dropped me off at the airport she hugged me and told me how seriously sick he was and asked me to take care of Jenn (this was when we were just falling in love - She and Pop had already figured it out before we did).

She came to visit us in London and we had a great time. She was obsessed with finding Beanie Babies and could never come to grips with the fact that she could not spend US dollars in England. We spent the night watching the Millennium coming in around the world with her, we went to Nebraska with her where she took me to visit their family home there, something that I will always treasure. She spent a few months with us in North Carolina when she was first getting sick. Above all we got to spend the last week of her life with her. All these times and many others are memories that can not be taken away, are so precious and will be with me for ever. However, the abiding memory of her is how much fun she was and how we always seemed to laugh all the time when we were together.

I am grateful that she was a strong, Christian woman who knew Christ and I know that she being welcomed home right now. That means we will see her again one day and be able to laugh with her again.

I am honoured to be part of her family and I hope to always do right by her in my Christian walk, but, also in taking care of Jenn and her family. I promised her I would always do that when I married Jenn and I always will.

We and I will miss her desperately, but, I know despite how hard it is roght now she will want the laughter to continue.

I love you De, thanks for the memories and untill we meet again - goodbye.

-Richad