Showing Appreciation

I'm sure anyone reading this knows what I'm talking about when your told someone has died.  You think you understand death and the impact it had on you seeing that person in the near future, but for some reason, you keep thinking that it's all just a sick joke and that person will be there the next day...

Sigh... It's a guaranteed denial.


I was told that one of my supervisors at the Post Office past away last Wednesday night.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?n=joseph-ruden&pid=153181958

We all called him Joe. He was an awesome guy.  I joked around with him the day before he died.  When I was told he died, I had one of those... "Say Again?"  moments.   The worst part about this whole thing, is how he died.  It's so weird.... Sigh.... but he killed himself.  It was like getting hit by a Semi.  No one saw it coming.  Even the people who worked with him for a long time didn't see it coming.  His funeral is on Monday, and they are letting all the carriers come in almost 2 hours early so they can attend the Funeral and still deliver the mail.

I just can't wrap my head around it...  I guess it's just one of those things you will never understand.

.....2 Days Later.....

So, I started this post 2 days ago.  The Funeral has come and gone.  It was heartbreaking, but at the same time so enlightening.  The worst part was how much he hated his job.  :(  I don't the exact reason for his actions but I do know that the Post Office had a lot to do with it.  The comforting part is that I know he loves his family and only wants the best for them.  I wish he would have known that "Him staying with them" would have probably been much better choice.  It's sad to think that all he wanted was a "good job"  or a "We really appreciate what you do for us."  He never got it.  His father in law did the Eulogy and was read text conversations between Joe and his wife just days before he died.  They talked about the Post Office and about how he felt like he needed to transfer, because he didn't feel like he was appreciated.


I appreciated Joe.  He was always there to help and to make you feel like the work you were doing was appreciated.  I will miss Joe.  I think the world looses a lot of great people like him all the time, for sad reasons like not being told how much you appreciated them.  I might have been only a girl from the Post Office to him, but I hope he knows how much I appreciated him.


The denial is still there to a point.  It's weird how that happens.  But I'm glad I went to his funeral and was able to be reaffirmed about the gospel and it's teachings on death and the judgement of God.  Joe and his family will be together forever and I don't think his actions were intentional.  I think his mind was sick and the Lord will take that into account at his judgement.  I hope his family will grow stronger from this and be like him.  Selfless and willing to help anyone else.  I think they will. his oldest son talked towards the end and I think he is having a hard time now, but will become a stronger spirit because of it.  Joe would've given from his cup to anyone, but are we willing to give back as much...?  Because we should.

If you can gather anything from reading this, may it be to tell people you appreciate them.  I don't just mean your family and friends, but the people you work with, or that stranger who held the door for you.  "thank you" can go a long way.  You never know, it might stop that person from tipping over that fragile edge and coming to the same mortal death as Joe.  It's amazing what two little words can do.  Please use them.

In the Wrong Season...

I swear I always take on crafts for at least 2 seasons away from the current one, then once the current season is about to its end, THEN is when I start thinking about stuff for that one.  *sigh*  I'll just called myself "Well prepared" for the next year.

As for my current project.  I undertook a very time consuming one.  This one is for Christmas.  Here is a picture of the "Idea Sparker"...

I love it.  It is made with craft pearls.  I didn't want mine to be exactly like it, but I didn't know what I wanted it to look like...  I dragged a friend to Hobby Lobby to buy the supplies.  Come to find out, craft pearls are pretty expensive when you need a lot of them.  So.... I needed another way of doing it.  Hobby Lobby is "Well Prepared"  like me, thank goodness!  They have their Christmas stuff up already.  *Ah yeah!*   So wandered through that stuff for awhile.  I thought about a red wreath but it just wasn't really striking my fancy.   Then I saw blue, and my brain wheels started turning...  The image that came to my mind was The Snow Miser.  If you don't know about him, or need a refresher, here is a video of him....

Trust me to find a most weird inspiration.  ;)  So I knew what color palette to follow.  Now the craft pearl problem.  I found this Christmas pearl garland and got the idea to cut it apart.  Instant pearls!  Here is a collection of pictures of it from beginning to (Almost end).

First off, you need a foam wreath form.  Then you wrap ribbon around it.

 Then you take three or four nights to cut apart 3 containers of this pearl garland.  I used 2 clear, 1 silver, and 1 dark blue one that was not this big of a container.

 I wanted ice sickles so I bought these plastic ones and broke them to the sizes I wanted.

As for the finished product, I spent about 3 night hot gluing all the beads on.  So here is the (almost) finished product!!!!

Ta Da!!!

 

I say (almost) finished because I can't figure out how I'm going to hang it.  The ice sickles make it almost impossible to hang with ribbon from the middle...  So hence, almost, finished. I'll get something figured out.  Also, the lighter blue pieces are actually Christmas vase filler they had.  

P.S.  This thing weighs a lot.  Just a warning if you ever want to make one.