Highs and Lows

It's been a rough week. Such a see-saw between beautiful highs and painful, gut-wrenching lows.

We celebrated my grandmother-in-law's 90th birthday last Saturday. Such a joyous day with family and friends! This petite, quiet woman lived through some amazing times in her life. Most of history as we know it has occured in her lifetime. (She shares Patrick Swayze's birthday. Very important event.)

We also suffered the loss of a loved one, someone very dear to my heart. My husband's brother lost his painful, tiring, and courageous battle with bone marrow cancer. We were aware that death was a distinct possibility, but the event was a surprise and extremely painful nonetheless. As I sit and process this event, I'm reminded why I loved him and why he'll always have a special place in my heart.  Alec was a sweet, wonderfully generous man with a warm heart. He made an impression and impacted lives everywhere he went. He was an adventurer at heart; Alec traveled all over the world and lived for a while in Denmark as an exchange student. His passion was gourmet cooking and restoring old homes - 59 of them to be exact. Some of his greatest work lives on in places such as The Mintz Mansion in Phoenix, AZ. He was loved by brothers, sisters, aunts, nephews, nieces, and friends. He lived a full life, much like his grandma. He also had his share of disappointment and refining. During the height of his careers, Alec made more money than he knew what to do with. He was generous to a fault, taking care of others who needed help at the drop of a hat. He traveled extensively, and indulged in antiqueing (which he was very good at). But during the recession of 2008 he lost it all. After hitting rock bottom, he reevaluated what was important and realized that people, not things or money, were what he cherished. He lived his life from that point on in a simple manner, shunning possessions and valueing the time he spent with those he loved. He was always the first person anyone wanted to talk to and gave sage advice, full of experience and wisdom. He was loved. He was cherished. He will be missed.

And so, my second blog post has nothing to do with oils, or babies, or Down syndrome. It has everything to do with two precious people in my life whom I love very much.

Until next time, friends.

Alec Tanner (AKA Michael Groeneveld)

November 11, 1967 - August 18, 2014

For more information about bone and bone marrow cancer, please go to cancer.org/bonecancer.