Christmas Traditions Week #1

We have a few festive traditions we always do over the next few weeks
here are the first of them!

The Late Late Toy Show
This tradition is with me since I was a child I remember
being allowed to stay up late with popcorn to watch this
My brother would fall asleep after a while but I always managed to
watch all of it! Of course as you get older it's less cold to watch it
but hubby and I always curl up with a hot chocolate to watch
and maybe next year Oisín will watch it too!

Putting our Christmas Decorations Up
I like to put our decorations up nearest to the 1st of December as I can
This year this meant putting them up the last week in November
We had a little helper this year Oisín was happy to help!
We waited to put up the tree until he was in bed
His face the next morning when he saw it was priceless

Console Concert
This was my third year at this beautiful concert
for families affected by suicide
It is a wonderful event that I always enjoy going to
It was also lovely that my Dad got to go this year too

So that's our traditions for this week
what are yours?

Console Celebration of Light

On Sunday evening I was once again invited to Console's annual concert

for family and friends who have lost loved ones through suicide
Last year my Mam came with me this year I managed to get three tickets and

my Father could also attend with us
It was my third year to attend and it means so much to me

giving us one evening over the festive time to just remember and celebrate

my brother who we lost in 2006

Although we miss him every day and think of him all the time

This is a beautiful two and half hours once a year to just remember, cry, think and celebrate his life

My Dad like my Mam last year was unsure

what to expect, he is not very religious and was hoping it wasn't praying for two hours!

When the he realised it was an evening of celebration, songs and poems

he really relaxed and really enjoyed his time there

This year's theme was Hope and yes there is still Hope and Light
After you go through something like this everything seems dark
There doesn't seem to be any light around but believe me there is
always a little light in the dark
It might be small but it's there growing
On the evening one candle is lit then we are all given candles
and we light them together to represent this

This year's beautiful singers included
Paul Hennessy who sang You Raise Me Up,
Liam Lawton who sang Bring Him Home,
Rebecca Storm sang You'll Never Walk Along
and Jack L sang Ole Man River
Christy Keneally who narrated the evening has such a beautiful way with words

Again I watched my parents leave a little lighter then they entered
My Dad didn't stop talking about it all the way home!
The thing that I love about this evening is that
We can grieve and let our feelings out knowing
everyone there is feeling the same way
It's nine years since our brother left this world
the pain will always be there
Knowing we have an evening like this every year
makes the pain a little more bearable
Thank you to everyone at Console for this amazing evening

Remember Suicide it not

the answer there is always

light at the end of the tunnel

please talk

Console 1800 247 247

Beacon Of Light 01 457 8700

Over The Weekend #11

This weekend was the start of the busy ones!

We have something on every weekend from now to Christmas!

Friday Paul and I settled down to watch the Irish Tradition that is

The Late Late Toy Show every person in Ireland remembers watching it as a child

Oisín is still too young to stay up for it but we did Sky plus it and

he enjoyed watching it Saturday morning

I woke Saturday not feeling well again not as bad 

but it felt like my sinus where blocked and my ear was hurting too

I done my best to get over it and put our Christmas decorations up

We waited till Oisín had gone to bed to put the

tree up it takes awhile so I like to take my time over it

His face Sunday morning was priceless

he kept saying Wow over and over again!!

My parents and I then went to Console's annual concert

for families effected by suicide it was my Dad's first time at it

It was another beautiful concert and I came home 

with a lighter heart

Celebration of Light Console Concert

On Sunday evening I was once again invited to Console's annual concert
for family and friends who have lost loved ones through suicide
My lovely manager in work always manages to get me tickets
It was my second year to attend and it means so much to me
This year my Mam came with me I could tell she was unsure
at first what to expect, but by the end I could see a weight had been
lifted from her shoulders

The setting for this concert is the stunning grounds of
St Patrick's Church in Maynooth College
The grounds are just stunning which make this concert
even more special

I took a few pictures before the concert
started
It was a beautiful evening of
music, song and poems
Every year there is a theme
this year's theme was
Love
There was beautiful singers
who sang beautiful words of love
Declan O' Rourke sang his well know
song Galilieo, Rebecca Storm sang Tell Me It's Not True
Niamh Kavangah sang In My life
and author Christy Kenneally
speaker on the night said
sad and true words

To watch my Mam be able to grieve
in the comfort of those around her
knowing we where all there for
the same reasons as her
was a wonderful thing
So thankful to Console
for that it's
one of the best Christmas presents
I could as for

Remember Suicide it not
the answer there is always
light at the end of the tunnel
please talk

Console 1800 247 247
Beacon Of Light 01 457 8700

Things That Made Me Say Yeah 23/52

This cutie's face when he saw the Christmas tree for the first

time on Sunday morning!

Paul and I spent the whole of Saturday night putting up

our Christmas decorations and our 8ft Christmas tree

we didn't get finished till 11pm!

It was so worth it to see Oisín's face

on Sunday morning!!

This beautiful concert that was put on

by Console called

Light up a Life at Christmas

it was my second year at it

but my Mam's first

Seeing her able to grieve around others

who know what she is going through

was a wonderful thing

We felt like my brother Patrick was

sitting beside us through

the whole concert.