3.20.2009

Carolyn Fairfield - March 20, 2009

I know many of you - especially my family and friends - follow this blog and have been following the progress with Brad's mom Carolyn, so I felt it important to post it here that she passed away around 12:30am this morning. Brad was by her side when it happened, but unfortunately was the only one there with her at the time. On the plus side, he was there for his mom and I know that was very important for him to have her not be alone. His brother is back in Iowa from Japan, and his sister and her children are driving up from Dallas on Friday/Saturday. I'm flying into to Omaha in the evening; that was my original plan, and Brad did not feel a need to change it at this time. We'll know by the end of the day in regards to when the visitation and funeral will be.

Carolyn was an absolutely amazing woman who touched an unbelievable amount of lives during her stay here on Earth. I do not think there was a single person she met who wasn't influenced positively by her in some way. She was incredibly intelligent; her memory, almost up to her final days, was impeccable. She had a great appreciation and interest in people, and had an interest in each of their stories. She saw the good in people, and did her part to better her community and provide support to the organizations within it. Carolyn truly cared about each individual she met, and was the first to lend support. She looked out for others, and was always lending a hand to those who were down on their luck or in need. She was a faithful Methodist, and never feared death even though she faced it for over two years. Carolyn had a great love for her husband, children and grandchildren, and of course for her siblings and other family members. And though she faced difficult health problems for many years, she still faced life with a great sense of humor, grace, and an unbelievable amount of strength and resolve.

Carolyn welcomed me with open arms into the family back in 2002; I, on a personal note, feel so blessed for the time I got to spend with her. I am grateful that I had an opportunity to get to know her. I am thankful for the stories and family history she shared. I will never forget her intelligence, caring and wit, especially because I see those traits shine clearly in her son - my husband, Brad - every day. Though she is no longer with us here, she definitely will live on in her children and grandchildren.

I don't usually go around speaking for Brad, but I know that he is unbelievably grateful for all of the prayers and support you have offered for his mom, for him and his family. These situations are never easy, but I know that it meant - and means - a lot to him to have that kind of love and support surrounding him. We know that Carolyn is in a better place, and certainly left behind a world that was better off for her being in it. We are grateful that she is finally at peace, though we will miss her so.

3.18.2009

March

I'm still not ready to post on here regularly; posting on my Failed ADR blog instead. While it was meant to keep everyone up-to-date on my progress before and after back surgeries #3 & 4, it has also now become a place for update's on Brad's mom, who is on her final days. As one can imagine, we have been living our lives day-by-day since about October. It's been weird, because there can be no such thing as "planning"; everything we do is decided at the moment based on what is going on around us at that particular time. While things should be settling down within the next month, for now I just don't have the time or mentally to post on this blog. I've posted enough on here about my health issues, and while it's been a huge part of my life I just want to keep it as separate as possible from here on out. There are lots of other things on the horizon, and when the time is right I'll find my way back here. So for now, if you're wondering how things are going, my other site or Facebook page is the place to be.