Grandma, Christmas, New Year's and Some Recomendations...

Well, I have not been the best at blogging lately (obviously), but life has been a little bit crazy! On December 7th, my grandmother passed away. It was...unexpectedly expected, if that makes any sense. Her heart has been bad for years; I think she had her first bypass even before I was born. She had been in the hospital for a while because there were toxins in her body due to her kidney's not working well, and her heart was only working at around 20%, or close to that, on its own. The day she passed away was the first time I had been able to see her in a while because I had been sick and a cold simply would not have helped her at all. My mom, dad, brother, and I went to see her right after church and she seemed just fine, a little tired, but just fine. So it was definitely surprising when my dad got a call from his sister saying that grandma wasn't doing very well only 5 or so hours later. My dad went over and called the rest of us over about an hour later. Being able to say goodbye is something that I've always been thankful for. I've been able to say goodbye to almost all my great-grandparents and now to my grandma. The hardest part of the whole thing was definitely seeing my dad hurt. When he called to tell us that grandma had passed away later that night, he was sobbing. It was awful. My heart literally broke for him. I then stayed up until he got home, which was about 1 am, and I just hugged him and let him have a good cry. Then it seemed like Christmas was here before I knew it. I love Christmas; I love the decorations, the music, just everything about it. My family got a Wii which we all love. I have to say though that I think my favorite gift that I got was something that wasn't even for me. There is an organization called Heifer International that allows people to purchase livestock for impoverished nations. I asked for my family to purchase something from that website, and my aunt actually did! She purchased some baby ducks and I was SO happy that she did. I have so much, and it meant so much to give something like that; something life changing. It was wonderful. I'm already missing the whole Christmas spirit that seems to encompass everything. As for the New Year, I'm excited for a new start. I have things that I want to accomplish, and though I hate New Year Resolutions, I am going to try and make a few changes to better myself and try to become a better person. I want to travel, hopefully on some humanitarian expedition. I want to become healthier: physically, emotionally, spiritually. I want to get to know myself. There are spiritual things that I need to evaluate and pray about and make some big decisions in that regard. HOPEFULLY, I will meet someone this year :-).
Last, but certainly not least, I have a few recommendations in the book and movie department. I am addicted to history and I have this fascination with Henry VIII and his many, many wives. "The Concubine" by Norah Lofts is about Anne Boleyn, the first decapitated wife, and her relationship with Henry. It was so well done. Its written as a novel, so it reads like any other book, and not like a history book. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who even remotely has any interest in history at all. And, speaking of Henry VIII, HBO did an amazing film, aptly titled "Henry VIII" about his life. It stars Ray Winstone as Henry and Helena Bonham Carter as Anne Boleyn. This film goes through all of Henry's wives and I think really shows Henry as a man that you can sympathize with. It is one of my favorites and is another highly recommended film. That's all for now folks!