It’s Friday evening after a long week of remembrance and Thanksgiving all the big gatherings, events  and meals are behind us.

 

I had one of the slowest days I can recall… Which was wonderful. I feel like I finally caught up on sleep with several eight hour nights under my pillow.

I’m trying to remember what I did today so I can give an account here… And I’m struggling to think of anything I did. I did have breakfast with my friend Jon…I took apart the trampoline for the season… (You may wonder why a couple with grown kids still needs trampoline… But I take many meetings with all of you while bouncing on that thing)

 

 Why a couple with grown kids still needs trampoline… But I take many meetings with all of you while bouncing on that thing)

 

Oh yeah… We did accomplish one big thing today. We rearranged our living space

we switched  from ‘party mode’ and back to ‘winter mode… ‘  in winter we tend to be more huddled around the woodstove… Like the dogs are here 🙂

 

Rearranging ones living spaces a good metaphor for rearranging one’s life during vacation… Don’t you think?

 

Nite all, nite sam

-me

 

 

Feeling thankful.. .. long. slow Thanksgiving day.. spent the morning getting ready..   now in the post starch glow..

 

Just before folks started showing up, Luke came by to show us his new ink for Sam . 

 

first in were the cafferky/wales’s … modeling matching Icelandic sweaters.. . cute or scary ? 

 

prepping for dinner ..  spaces.

 

wine 

people 

 

veggies.. (lots of collard greens !)

 

 

bacon wrapped everything 

 

starch 

 

come and get it !

 

veggies for me 

 

toast !

 

hot sacue is the obly way to make mashed potatoes taste like anything 

 

food coma 

 

everyone pitched in for dishes 

 

5 dogs in the house this night.. this is annie.. Mason’s parents dog.. 

and nimra 

 

now Pie !

 

and pool 

 

 

baby brother, my  sister and mom call in 

 

now time to get horizontal and digest..

 

I’m so very grateful for all the love that surrounds us here.. 

hope your thanksgiving was full of love too..

 

nite all. nite sam

-me

 

Sam left this world over three days. The accident that took his life occurred on the Nov 20, on the 21st we learned beyond doubt that our son would not live. We made the very hard.. but the only decision we could .. which was to enable  Sam to donate his strong organs to save others. From the 20th through the 21st the transplant team at Clearwater searched to match  Sam’s organs up with recipients.. It was an amazing process to watch even through our shock and grief. 

By the 22nd, sam’s heart, liver and both kidneys had been matched. His corneas went to research. on the morning of the 22nd, they wheeled Sam into the operating room. That  moment was so very hard.. ..I  usually  block it from my memory..  reliving it now has me melting down in tears as  I write. 

As tough as it was.. that day.. one of the worst of my life, was one of the best days for four other families.. and for that I’m forever grateful . 

The main thing I learned through the experience of organ donation is that that main thing that matters is that your family knows your wishes.   Organ donation is not for everyone..   soem people don’t liek through thought. for others its counter to religious beliefs.. thats all OK.. what matters is that your family knows what you would want.. In our case, we new our Sam.. strong, always willing to help… we knew he’d want to be a donor..

Please take a moment right now.. and talk to your loved ones.. and let them know what your wishes would be if G-d forbid this ever happens in your life.. 

And then hug them.. really. really hard and tell them how much you love them… and tyell them tanks for Sam

nite all, nite sam

-me

 

 

Just sitting down after a day long celebration for Sam.. Thought yesterday is the day of the accident, Today is the day we mark his death.  I woke up thinking about Sam.. I thought about him all day.. I often do.. today we had many others to share our memories of this great kid.. 

 

here’s one of my favorite pics of Sam it was at Camp Abenaki during ‘Priate Day’.. Sam was acting out Tenacious D’s ‘Wonder boy’ 

our good freind Coco painted that picture for us 

 

 

our celebration for Sam began at 1 up at bolton about 20 friends and 4 dogs joined us for a quick walk up the mountian.. There was nearly a foot of snow already on top .. though the air tem p was in the high 40’s 

 

we brought chai and satori.. Chai is 14 years old.. satori is 10 .. both  did the hike just fine. 

 

it was a beutiful day.. before I knew it we were up at the top.. took less than an hour. 

 

we stopped at the hut and shared red bull, moonshine..gorp..

\

 

next stop was the fire tower for max, gabe and i .. we always go up and fire off soem fireworks for sam. \

 

we got down around 4.. and headed back to the house. People started showing up around then 

 

kasey !

eventually we had about 50 people show up for Sam

 

we passed out red bull for a toast.. sam loved(!!!!) redbull 

 

Food was great.. even spiders and cheese !

 

out came quitars and a fiddle.. here are max and rusty 

 

then jane got out rusty’s fiddle 

 

the house was mostly cleared out by about 11 PM.. thats 10 hours after we began

 

there were lots of  sam stoires.. much more laughter than tears. 

 

what a wonderful way to remember a wonderful kid

 

We miss you my son.. your friends are still very much in our lives..

we all love you..

nite all, nite sam

-me