What Was, and Is, and Is to Come

So…

its tradition this time of year, for me to recap the past year, (you know…what went well, and what didn’t), and also to declare what our goals for the coming year will be.

But here’s what surprised me!

Having not read thru last year’s posts since last year at this time, it was startling, and actually pretty discouraging to realize that lo and behold… nothing much at all has changed or improved on a personal front for me since last year at this time!

and by that I mean there were some good things that happened this year,
but “Oh My”, the Con’s were SO much more WORSE
and seemed to override all the good!

As is always our goal, we published two new patterns this year.
The Tandem DayPack on 2/15/24 and the High Seas Convertible on 8/15/24

But here’s the deal…

Overall… even though the business has been good, and we have wonderful friends to share some good times with…everything we’ve done this year has occurred against a backdrop of very serious issues.

Firstly– My husband’s balance issues have progressed (in a not-so-good way), but we are eagerly awaiting the FDA’s approval of the 1st drug that has shown to have positive results for his condition. He’s also gained admission to a brand new facility at UNC-Chapel Hill that’s specifically designed to address patients with his very condition. So we’re waiting (a bit impatiently) for his 1st appointment with those doctors.

And with their 92nd birthdays looming in November, and as it would soon be time to head to Houston for two weeks for the International Quilt Market & Festival, I was understandably concerned about how things would go with my folks while we were there, while I was gone!

And as it turned out, I was right to be concerned…

Because 2 days b4 our flight to Houston, my Dad was taken by ambulance to the hospital for what turned out to be the last time.

There he was found to have a MRSA infection in his blood. Long story short, he was transported to skilled nursing where he received hospice care until he passed away on Nov. 1st, the 2nd day of the International Quilt Festival. Needless to say, when I got home 3 days later, I cancelled my knee surgery & from there it has been a blur of securing final arrangements for Dad, & finding all the legal papers necessary to secure survivorship benefits for my Mom who was now in a Memory Care unit, all while trying to catch up from Houston.

Meanwhile my Mom who had lost her husband of 72 years was hopeless & distraught & by the week of Thanksgiving had decided (unbeknownst to us or anyone else), to stop eating, drinking & taking medication. By the time the Memory Care unit realized how dehydrated she was, she was sent to the hospital for care that she continued to refuse & within a week was referred to the Hospice Home where she mercifully passed away on Dec. 12th.

On the one hand, we’re glad their suffering is over, but in the meantime, for us, the bright lights of the holiday season have dimmed considerably. I haven’t touched my sewing machine since Oct 11th, this is only the 2nd blog post I’ve written since returning from Houston & I’ve made only sporadic progress on the pattern instructions for our next new pattern, and now, with the added complications of figuring out & closing my parent’s estate, it looks like things will continue to be in flux for some time yet.

So… what’s to come for us in 2025?

We’ve made plans to be sure (all prior to the dismal events of November & December ’24). Our plans are to publish two new patterns (as usual), and to attend & vend at our usual show venues & we’ve also made plans to go on a lovely vacation again in June with our favorite companions, but all of this is contingent on my husband’s condition. And if 2024 has taught us anything, its to be flexible, because ALL of our silly little plans can change on a dime.

At this particular moment, its not a fun way to live, but I know that there will not always be sadness, that the light WILL shine again, and that someday, all the wrongs will be made right. So for this Holiday Season and for all of 2025… our wish for you is that you keep your loved ones close… that you tell the ones you love that you love them… and that we can ALL find hope & peace in the coming New Year!  🙂

And now…. it’s YOUR turn!

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