Our Wonderful Trip to Disney in honor of Mom

Well, our week in Disney World could not have gone better.  The 11 of us went from sun up to sun down for 7 days and took it all in.  It was magical and wonderful!  We all had a different favorite moment at the end of the week, which is a testament to all the fun we had.

As I have written about previously, my happy memory from 20 years ago was turning around on Big Thunder Mountain and seeing a huge smile on my mom's face.  So when we rode Big Thunder Mountain as a family this time, I knew I had to turn around and this is what I saw.  Pure Joy!

This is exactly what I had wished for this trip.  A trip filled with joy and happiness to put closure on the memories from before.  During the fireworks show as I sat next to Adam, I just let it all sink in.  I was in awe that all of 11 of us were here after 14 months of planning and 20 years of waiting.  I was overcome with emotions of how Mom must be smiling down from heaven and I could feel her love and presence in that moment.  I was filled with happiness at the thought of being here with my whole family.  As tears streamed down my face, I just thank God for my family, for this trip, and for his blessings upon all of us!  I also prayed that he bless my Mom and let her know how much she is loved and missed and that she would be able to bask in the joy experienced on this trip in her memory.

My dad shared our family's story with a cashier at the Ye Ol Merry Christmas Shoppe and when he picked up his package the next day he found a hand written note.  It thanked him for sharing his story and said that Mickey came by shortly after we left and wanted us to have this angel ornament in memory of my Mom.  It was a very kind and a generous act that is exactly why Andy and I love Disney so much!

The pain of losing my Mom will never go away and the painful, sad memories of our Disney trip 20 years ago with not be forgotten.  However this trip was a powerful experience of healing, love, and proof that with time, love, and faith, life will go on and pure joy and happiness can prevail.

I have only shared my journey of grief with those very close to me and I was unsure about sharing it so publicly but have found this exercise to be very therapeutic for me.   I  want to thank everyone who has followed this blog over the last year and shared their words of encouragement and support.  Those kind words and gestures have meant so much to me.  I truly appreciate you and pray that you feel God's love and support on whatever journey you are on in your life.  God Bless!

Family Vacation 20 Years Later

20  years ago my mother worked so hard to plan the perfect family vacation for us.  Remember we had not been on one for 10 years and even then my siblings had no memories of the prior vacation due to being too young.  The perfect vacation to Disney World she had planned was tragically cut short by my mother's death.  As we approached the 20th anniversary of her death, we decided it was time to give my mother that vacation she had dreamed of.

My family of 4, my sister, my brother and his family of 4, as well as my dad and his wife will be spending next week in Disney World.  We will be staying at a Disney resort and enjoying everything this magical place has to offer during the holidays.  My brother went back to Disney with the marching band when he was in high school.  I have been three times in the last 4 years, but my sister and dad have not returned since our last trip with Mom.  

I'm sure there will be a few tears, but I'm even more positive that there will be lots of laughter, smiles, and wonderful memories made just like my Mom had hoped 20 years ago.  She will get to watch from heaven as her children and grandchildren have that memorable vacation that she wanted for us so long ago.  She will get to witness the look on my Dad's face as he see his granddaughters meet the Mickey and Minnie for the first time.  She will get to see the incredible excitement her grandsons will have showing their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents their favorite snack, ride, or show.  She will get to see her children have a true family vacation together.  

My siblings and Dad have not been on a vacation together in 20 years but it's never too late.  We are all in our 30s now and I just feel like we owe it to ourselves and to our Mom to create the family vacation memories that we never had.  We are blessed that we are all in good health, were able to coordinate schedules, and pull together the resources to be able to do this together.  

I will be honest now that our departure is tomorrow and as I'm writing this blog, I'm starting to feel a little nervous.  Will this trip be a happy one or is there a chance that something horrible could happen again?  Are we crazy to try to do this again and to return to this place to do it?  In reality there is always a chance that something bad will happen, but we can't live life waiting for the other shoe to drop.  We have to take the chance because what if everything goes wonderfully. How could we deprive ourselves of the memories and experiences that could be?

So with that in mind we will travel to Disney World next week to remember and honor my Mom and to hopefully have a wonderful family vacation. I pray that we have safe travels and that our trip is one that results in many magical, happy memories.