It's that time of year.........

Our beautiful indian summer has come to an end, the leaves are falling to the ground, garden season is winding down and frost is in the weather forecast. Spring and summer are my favorite times of the year--everything is growing and beautiful. Fall, for many reasons, is not a time I look forward to. That first frost that wipes out all of the colorful flowers signifies the coming of a long, desolate winter.

With October comes many memories, one in particular that stands out for the Edwards' clan: October 13th will be the 6th anniversary of when Tracy left us. What a gift those 18 years of her life were to our family! Not a day goes by that we don't think of her and how she touched our lives. I won't lie--knowing she is gone is still the most difficult thing I face every morning when I wake up. But I will say that time eases that pain and, while it doesn't ever really go away, time allows us to get used to living with it and that hurt is not as raw or fresh anymore. Memories are such sweet blessings and are treasured all the more when someone you love is no longer with you.

The other sweet blessing are all of the angels I have in my life who give me a reason to keep going. First, there are my other four children and their spouses--what amazing people they are! Incredible, fantastic, creative, dedicated, ambitious, energetic, committed, talented, capable--those are just a few words that come to my mind when I think of them.

The next angels are my angel baby grandchildren. I thought having kids was great but then the grandbabies started coming along and as the saying goes, "If I'd have known grandchildren were so much fun, I'd have had them first!"

The third set of angels I have in my life are a group of Tracy's dear friends who have taken such good care of me since she's been gone. They have honored her memory by the way they have stood by me. Even after six years, they haven't forgotten and they always come to share Tracy's birthday and the anniversary of her accident with our family. Most of the time we don't even talk about Tracy but she is the reason we get together. Travis, David, Andy, Katie Jo, Bre and Tom are Tracy's angel friends. In the beginning, if I was having a hard day at work or at home it never failed that one or two of them would drop by to give me a hug or call to say hello.

My laptop is out of commission right now or I'd post pictures of all of my angels--I'll have to do that when my computer is fixed.

Anyway, as this 6th anniversary approaches, I want to let all of the angels in my life know how much they are loved and appreciated. Their love, support and encouragement has provided so much strength and hope and I will be forever grateful to them.