30 Days of Giving Thanks - Day 12 - Larry and Maureen

Larry and Maureen have known my parents now for well over 45 years. They have been close family friends; and as children we enjoyed many trips to southeastern Minnesota and later western Wisconsin where they live.

I remember taking the train from the depot in downtown Minneapolis with my sister to visit Larry and Maureen. (Those were the days were it was still safe to stick young children on trains by themselves and not worry about them.)

Larry and Maureen had four children and my parents had three children, so when we gathered together it was a lot of fun - playing indoor games as well as playing outdoors and exploring their large backyard.

This was taken sometime in the 1980s

when our families gathered together in Wisconsin.

We would always enjoy wonderful meals - both Larry and Maureen are great cooks. I remember being a teenager and copying recipes for food that I enjoyed at their home. Their recipes became some of the first ones in my recipe box.

So, today I gave Maureen a thank you note and some pictures from October 9th when they visited our family at St. Therese for a birthday party we were having there.

Maureen stayed with my mom during the past week and provided help and support as she recovered from being in the hospital in October as well as is dealing with grief and loss issues associated with my dad being at St. Therese (nursing home) from October 3rd-23rd, the hospital for 11 days, and now back at St. Therese as of November 4th.

My parents (seated in the front row) with

Larry and Maureen (standing in the back row).

With Maureen helping my mom during the past week, I was able to stay at home and accomplish more with the girls with homeschooling. It feels good to be able to mark things off the plan that I created for the school year; and move forward with some of the lessons and activities that have had to be put on hold because of caregiving responsibilities.

Both Larry and Maureen have been so supportive, insightful, and encouraging throughout the years...particularly on this journey of Alzheimer's Disease with my dad.

Larry, Maureen, and my Dad by the pond

at St. Therese. We went on a walk on the trail

on October 9th.

There have been many times where it's been very stressful, sad, and discouraging. However, having people like Larry and Maureen in my life have truly made some of the most challenging days a bit easier.