The Message That Was Supposed to Go Out Today...Long and Sorry

Published: Fri, 11/24/17


My precious dad passed away this morning. I knew it was coming and he had a long life at 94 years but it's never easy and my heart is so broken right now. So I plan on saying a lot today (the original email I'd already compiled for today this past week is below this message and I'll leave it there). 

My dad's name was James "Speedy" Lambert. They called him speedy because he knew Morse code so fast (self taught) that they originally thought he was a spy. He served aboard the USS Wisconsin in WWII and later served in the Air Force in Vietnam and Korea. He was a proud patriot and loved our country. Later, when he'd tell his war stories, we'd ask him about the enemy and he'd say, "Honey, they were just doing their job - listening to their commanders like we all were. You can't blame those men." 

My dad was an older dad to me (he and my mom were 19 years apart in age) but I'm so blessed that he lived 94 years to show me such love and kindness. He taught me so many things - he gardened with me when I was little, he taught me to drive and bought me a 1956 pink Cadillac when I was 9 and he kept it until he signed it over to me later. He'd drive it with me and he'd wrap baked potatoes and filet mignon in foil when we'd drive to Florida in it and he'd cook it on the engine! So funny. 

He came from the era of the Great Depression and he couldn't stand to see anyone or anything hungry. He fed stray animals and if he had money, he'd buy the person's groceries ahead or behind him in line. When he once won a quarter of a million dollars in the Florida lottery, he didn't spend a penny on himself. He gave it all away - and loved every second of it. 

He taught me how to play golf from age three and we spent many treasured hours on the golf course together. He beamed with pride when I'd step up onto the champion tee with the men and outdrive them all. "That's MY daughter!" he'd tell everyone. "She can outdrive any of you!" It embarrassed me as a teen but now, I'm just thankful I made him so proud. 

When I got pregnant out of wedlock, my dad (and mom both) accepted me and helped me raise my baby boy. My dad took care of him while I went to college and worked - sitting through hours of Barney the Dinosaur when he'd rather be watching the news or golf. He just loved making other people happy. 

My childhood home, which is a 1970 house that has a long way to go in fixing up, was given to me by my dad. He didn't need it (he traveled for work) but he knew I loved it because it helped all my childhood memories in it, so he signed it over to me so I could raise my kids here. I can sit here right now looking down the hall and "see" memories of my dad at our slumber parties when he'd scare us all by putting a mask on and a big overcoat and making us scream and throw pillow at him as we got our sleeping bags set up and told ghost stories. 

All of my friends have been calling today grieving with me. They knew what I knew - he was the best dad. They all loved him. One best friend didn't have money for a phone, so he bought her family a phone and paid their bill until they got on their feet. 

You can literally SEE how much my dad and I loved each other in this picture - I have always adored him:



He's the kind of dad that always made you feel safe and loved and secure. It's been so awful seeing his decline into dementia and helplessness. I am at peace knowing he's escaped his body now that had been failing him. He's free to go elsewhere. 

But I'll miss him so very much. My heart is broken today. But as my dad would tell me, life goes on. He'd want us to enjoy our day. I'm about to go with baby girl to buy an ornament that I can put that picture in on the tree. And later we'll get our tree. 

My poor babies (especially Scarlett) are worried seeing me cry, so I want to try to focus on the positive and cry less. It's hard. In the days before he died, he kept talking to my cousin Amy out loud like she was there with him - she was my age (I was so close to her) and she passed away a few years ago. They hadn't seen each other in 25 years or so but she always adored my dad. I don't know how the afterlife works, but I pray she was there to welcome him over. They'll laugh and play pranks on people. He always loved that kind of stuff. 

Anyway, I'm grieving. Please understand that I will throw myself into work to try to keep it together for my kids. But at the same time, if I forget to do something or aren't as quick to respond, there's a reason - my mind keeps drifting off to the past and I begin crying. I'll heal. It's just hard right now. 

:(

Here is the original message that was supposed to go out today... I'll leave it intact. But I plan to be offline most of today to focus on honoring my dad and planning a donation to something I know he would love. Haven't figured it out yet. 

Sorry to be a downer on what's often a fun day for families. But life doesn't tiptoe around our schedules I suppose. Here's the message I gathered this week to go out to y'all...

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I hope y'all had a lovely Thanksgiving or just regular day for those of you not in the US! For everyone, regardless of where you are, there are tons of sales happening this weekend - some through Cyber Monday. 

I gathered a list of the ones I feel are top quality and listed them here.

Black Friday Bonus: Buy anyone's sale through a link below and send me your receipt and a list of $250 worth of PLR you want from my PLR store AND choose 1 of my Challenges you want from the "Private Post Access" list on my blog at http://tiffanylambert.com/blog/private-posts-access

First up is my own sale for Black Friday - which is a $1,000 PLR voucher for $50 OR a lifetime total PLR option for 60% off. 

http://s3.amazonaws.com/bigplrevent.com/BlackFriday2017PLR.html

This is a big Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale from JR Lang. You get 60% off your cart by using Coupon Code: bf60off

https://internetslayers.com/?ap_id=TiffanyLambert

This is a huge bundle of $175 worth of PLR for just $17 by Susie O'Dea:

https://masterplr.com/amember/aff/go/tiffanylambert?i=93

Barb Ling and Dennis Becker have a black Friday deal with tons of products here:

https://warriorplus.com/o2/a/b7pq0/0

Alice Seba's black Friday sale is here Starts Friday at 10 AM:

https://www.diyplr.com/bundles/aff/go/TiffanyDow?i=379

Sharyn Sheldon's Essential Skills Black Friday Sale:

https://affiliates.contentsparks.com/aff/idevaffiliate.php?id=1232_96_3_69

Tiff

P.S. Prefer a weekly digest?
http://www.tiffanylambert.com/weeklytiff.html