Happy Birthday to Melanie

 

This is my sister Melanie.  She turned 59 today in Heaven.

She died May 30, 2007.  Her funeral was on my dad's birthday, June 2.  (fun fact - well maybe just a fact)  

This is her in 2006.  

I have been thinking about her today. 

This was the last day she ever saw her boys.  She was in a custody battle with their dad and he had been gone for over a year.  He would come to town for the divorce court and not even see the boys.  

That is Melanie and Denver

Thats Christopher and Melanie

He was coming to pick up the boys.  (not sure the details of this -  I was living my own hell at the time)   He came and they were crying and crying and didn't want to go with him. They hadn't seen him for over a year.  Melanie died the following May.  It wasn't a great time.  

Her boys are now 22 and 20.

We don't see them.  I haven't seen them for about 10 years which makes me sad.  It is sad.  They live so far away and far from an airport.  You would have to drive a ways to get there so my parents were only able to visit once.  They came here once too.

Christopher - he works at Lowes as a forklift operator I think

This is the Ex.  He posts this nice shirtless pic on Facebook

This is Denver - he is working at McDonalds.  

This is also Denver.  I think its hilarious that he walked home in his robe.  Kindof smart actually

The whole situation was sad.  Melanie had a difficult life.  She suffered from some mental illness that was diagnosed later in life and suffered from alcoholism and some drug abuse.  I think the alcohol was to cover up the mental illness and the pain and lonliness and anguish she felt all the time.  Not sure just my thought after all these years.  It was a sad situation.  Melanie was the most fun person at times and the most vial at others.  Never could tell which it was going to be.

She was very giving.  Brooke and McKenna liked to sleep over and play with Christopher and Denver.  Melane was so giving and generous.  McKenna forgot her swimsuit once and so Melanie went and bought her one so they could go swimming.  She and I were in line in Disneyland and she was ahead of me and offered to pay for me.  I told her I was getting THREE rice krispies AND a drink.  She said well, put them up here and I'll pay.   Seriously generous and not very many people saw that good side of her.  She was very funny.  Most people didn't see the funny side of her which was sad. 

I hope that she's watching over her boys and having to do missionary work on the other side.  Maybe she's hanging with our dad and our other sister, Kathleen.  And my grandma Stella.  I hope that she finally realizes that we didn't hate her and how much Michelle did for her.