And through all the ups and downs, there are those miraculous constants of family, faith, and friends. It's all great until you lose one of the constants and then your world screeches to a halt - there's been a tear in the "fabric" of you life. And so it is in our family at Diana's. We lost our friend, manager, aunt, "sister" to a disease she fought for 10 years. As some of you are aware, Terri died of lung cancer on August 30th after what was a 10 year journey. But she would want everyone to understand that it was not a journey of despair, but one of persistent hope. Her life was not at all about the cancer, but rather was all about living with the people she loved. At her service, Father spoke about Terri's desire to live, not for herself, but to continue loving the people around her. She did that very well. My family was blessed to have her persistent loving for over 38 years. She has wonderful children, a beautiful grandson, incredible friends, and a sweetheart who stood by her side and loved her through it all.
People like Terri, are present in your life through the high and low points helping to mold you into the person you become. They "fill in the blanks" and are often the bridges in your life, helping you from one point to the next with a kind word or a smile. We shared an office, just her and I. As I have a tendency to talk to myself (and all the other voices in my head) when an unprepared person walked into our office and heard me talking, they asked Terri how she knew when to answer? She simply said "I've learned that she'll let you know if you were supposed to be listening."! Moving forward, I would be remiss if I did not thank from my heart, our wonderful staff who has really stood together through it all. As I was blessed to call Terri friend, I am equally as blessed to share my days with them. And, we joyfully welcome, Lea to our Diana family. Her bright smile and sparkling personality is a perfect addition to our "family."