Sunday, May 24, 2015

Thankful Sunday--May 24, 2015

I am thankful for the beautiful life of Allison.



I first met Allison, when she was a young teen, on a trip with Ward to meet his family. She seemed quiet at times around her three older, boisterous brothers, but could definitely hold her own. In fact, later she would say that some of the wrestling moves she learned from them came in handy more than one time during a date.

She was accomplished in many ways. She had a degree in both English and Physics which lead to her career as a technical writer and prolific author. However, her greatest accomplishment was the life she created with her husband and son. They were a close family who enjoyed many things together including Morris Dancing and the science fiction world. From those activities, they made a large circle of friends. This circle was never more evident than during the last two years of her life and her battle with cancer.

When Allison was first diagnosed, friends rallied around with a can do attitude  They were going to help her beat the impossible statistics and outsmart this illness. But after a while, it was evident that that was not going to happen. And when things got difficult and depressing, they were still around.

That's one of the things that I found amazing about the whole situation. Instead of avoiding her, they flocked to Allison. That's because Allison, with the incredible support of her husband, continued to celebrate life every day and encouraged all of those around her to do the same thing. Even when her body was betraying her, she kept going. There were dances and concerts and laser shows and block parties and museums and movies and snow angels and nature walks and festivals and parties and pig roasts and church and the list goes on and on of what she and friends and family did together to celebrate life every day. People were still around because they wanted to be a part of this positive energy.

During her illness, Allison developed a new word, ETHOOL which means, Enjoy The Heck Our Of Life. Buttons and banners were made and it is now a part of many people's every day language including mine. Allison wrote most of the notice that was going to be posted upon her passing. Unfortunately, Friday it was time to share that post. She told her husband she wanted to make them smile and she did.  Here is its final line:

 She is at peace and beginning to ETHOOTAL!  (Enjoying The Heck Out Of The After Life.)




12 comments:

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    1. I think her purpose on this earth was to teach us to enjoy life more. And I think she fulfilled it well.

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  2. You will be missed.

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  3. I'm sorry that you lost such a special part of your family.
    My condolences.

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    1. She's gone, but her legacy will live on in many people. That is indeed special.

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  4. I am so, so sorry to hear of your loss. What a beautiful tribute. I think I'm gonna start trying to ETHOOL much more often!

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    1. I think the great thing about her Ethooling was that there were no grand gestures. Just an effort to focus on the positive and do enjoyable, every day things. Both things I'm trying to do more of.

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  5. Deepest condolences for the lose to your family. I love that she left behind wonderful memories and a new word. Thank you so much for sharing some glimpse of her. (And also for sharing the picture of her looking fabulous in a blue wig)

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    1. The wig was one she wore during chemo treatments. I told her even when her hair grew back, she still needed to wear it sometimes because she looked so good in it. I always smiled when I saw her in it.

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  6. I think Google Chrome will let me comment; seems that Firefox won't. I wanted to share my condolences as well--Allison sounds like a joy to be around and she will be missed. My prayers are with your family.

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    1. It seems that I switch between Firefox and Google Chrome all of the time. One seems to work better than the other in certain circumstances. I haven't figured it all out yet. Good luck. I hope you do.

      Allison found the perfect partner in her husband, and the way that the two of them handled her illness was also part of the inspiration for other people. I could fill books with examples of heart melting and heart warming things that they did for each other.

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