November

November has arrived. I love this time of year. Halloween to birthdays to Thanksgiving to Christmas to Oliver's birthday to New Year's. Colors abound from the warm hues of autumn to the silvery shimmer of Christmas.

It also brings new feelings. The cool morning air, sounds of people raking leaves, smells of apples and pumpkin all remind me of Waverly's time on hospice. I vacillate between fondness and fear, smiles and stress. I return to the memories of holding Waverly on our couch. I twirled her hair and whispered love and life lessons. We always had candles lit, fresh flowers surrounded her as she was wrapped in special blankets holding favorite stuffies. I also return to moments of total fear. I question our decisions and worry we failed her.

I *know* in my heart and mind that we did the best we could to provide her with a peaceful and pain free completion of her time on this earth. However I still struggle in moments of weakness.

I am trying to embrace both the joy and sorrow of this month. One of Waverly's favorite places was Jill's House. She attended day camps, had overnight sleepover adventures, attended Christmas parties, and had her own birthday party there. 

I have had the honor of volunteering there the last few months, working on organizing and inventorying different rooms. As I did so, I had an idea. All of the puzzles with missing pieces and toys that were loved to the point of breaking needed to be replaced. What if in honor of Waverly's birthday on the 15th, we flooded Jill's House with gifts. So I asked them to create an Amazon Wish List. It is filled with toys, puzzles, and craft supplies, along with office and cleaning supplies. My hope is that this month we can all join together in blessing this organization that has been an incredible blessing to our family.

Here is the link for the Jill's House Amazon Wish List. Check it out. There are items available for all price points. Just add them to your cart and Jill's House's address will appear as your shipping option. You will have to reenter your credit card number, since you are shipping to a new location. And that's it. 

Thank you for joining us in this celebration of Waverly.