Every year growing up, we spent Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve with Merr and our Henley family. As the grandkids grew up, married, and added our own children into the mix, it's become much harder to schedule family gatherings around Christmas. This year, Merr insisted we have a big party to celebrate her 88th birthday.
My aunts did a fabulous job decorating and planning the party. Merr sat in one corner visited with all her guests before lunch. Cameron had been writing actual letters to Merr for a few months, and she finally showed Merr her newly pierced ears. Merr looks pretty surprised!
After a lovely catered luncheon, Merr opened her presents. We gave her homemade rosemary mint soap from our local farmer's market. Then she gathered with her children & their spouses for a photo. (Uncle Mike wasn't there.)
We took more photos with Merr surrounded by her grandchildren, their spouses, and her great-grandchildren.
In hindsight, it was a very special birthday and party, because a few months later Merr fell and broke her femur at the hip socket. After a successful surgery, she spent several weeks in rehabilitation care. Today she's back at home with Aunt Pam and Uncle Jack, but the fall reminds us how fragile her body has become and how important it is to see her and tell her we love her very much.
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