It’s Father’s Day weekend and I can’t help but think about
my Dad and how much I miss him! June is
also his birthday month so it’s natural that I’ve been thinking about him a lot
lately. He’s been gone almost 8 years
and I miss having him around. I lived
almost 3000 miles away from N.H. for 10 years and decided to come back in 2000
to live closer to my family. It was only
a couple of weeks after my return that my Dad had a heart attack, underwent
quint-bypass surgery and never really fully recovered from that. He spent the next two years in and out of
hospitals before passing away in October of 2002. I wish I had more time with him when he was
healthy. I wish I knew if he were proud
of me for the choices I’ve made in my life; for how I raised an awesome son
pretty much by myself; for the person I’d become. He never really told me and I so wish he were
here so I could ask him. Treasure your
Dads if you have them and make sure you keep them close to your heart. Happy
Father’s Day Dad! Miss you and love you
Daddio………….
I’ve also been thinking about my brother lately and how much
I miss him. He was only a year older
than me and I always felt like he was my protector; always making sure that I
was ok; always making sure that his godchild, my son, knew how loved he
was. I miss my brother. He’s been gone
14 years now and I still miss him every day.
I guess that just never goes away.
Love you Steven!
While I’m on people I’m missing and who are no longer with
us I’d like to share a little about my grandmothers too.
This is Nana – she is my Mom’s mother. She’s been gone from us for almost 5 years,
but I think about her a lot too. She
lived a long life – 97 years!! I wear her ring everyday and treasure it more
than I think anything I own. It does and
always mean so much to me. I was so
fortunate that she moved into a nursing home close to my home and I was able to
visit with her often in the last couple years of her life. She was such a hoot! I’ll never forget all the funny sayings she
used to blurt out or the days when she would tell me to be careful because
there were “peepers” in the light fixture in her room at the nursing home. Every time I’d turn to look at what she was
talking about, she’d tell me they ducked down so I couldn’t see them. Then as I turned to look back at her, she say
“there they are again”; I’d turn and surprisingly they were gone! At first I thought she was just playing games
with me, but then I realized she was, in her mind, really seeing those peepers,
so I just played along. Every time I
hear someone say “who knows?”, I think
about my Nana and how she always used to say “who knows? – The Shadow Knows”….I
guess it was some TV or radio show or something from years ago. So now I always say that in my mind when
someone says “who knows?”, - I always follow in my mind with “the shadow knows”
and chuckle thinking about those moments with my Nana. Love you Nana!
This is Minnie – my Dad’s mother. Minnie was so special to me too. She always made me feel so special and was
always the grandmother that came to stay with us when my Mom went to the
hospital to have her babies. I always
looked forward to Minnie coming to stay with us. I will always remember how graceful she was;
how proper. Always kind and always
giving me wise advice about life in general.
She lived a long, wonderful life and passed away in January of
2009. Love you Minnie!
For Cyndy - a women
who was part of my team at work; a wonderful mother, wife, friend. She passed in a car accident on her way to
work in January of 2009. We were devastated
when we heard the news. Cyndy added so
much to my team; was always cheerful; always a hard worker. I miss her almost every day and think about
her husband and son always. Miss you
Cyndy!
And last, but certainly not least, for my friend Laura and her husband
Tad, who lost their son, Thad, to cancer last June – I’m thinking about you a
lot too lately and knowing this is a difficult time of year for you. You’re both in my thoughts and prayers
always!
This post is not meant to be depressing, but to honor those
that have passed because they meant and still mean so much to us!!
