My grandsons, 12-year old Nick and 7-year old Tyler had numerous tournament baseball games last weekend. I was lucky enough to be in town to watch their games. After one of Tyler’s great games, his big brother Nick said to him…”Tyler, you really played well today!” Tyler responded to Nick…”It’s because you play ball with me in the yard everyday!” BROTHERLY LOVE!
Originally written on July 16, 2013…
I found out yesterday that my breast cancer doctor is retiring…I sent him the note below privately, but I wanted to take a moment and thank him publicly for all his extraordinary care…
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Dear Dr. Dowlat,
I am writing to wish you well on your retirement, and to say how truly grateful I am to have had you as my doctor. When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998, you made me feel as if I could survive this diagnosis. And I have…but only with your help and care. When I was undecided whether or not to have chemo, you kept pursuing me and encouraged me to have it. I believe having chemo is the reason I am alive today. So, for that, and for so much kindnesses you have shown me, I want to say “Thank You”! You have been a blessing in my life. Good luck in your future endeavors!
My daughter texted a pic of my 2-year old grandson late last night. The caption said…”I had to capture this. I had to print a pic of you so he can sleep with it! :)”. The text warmed my heart, and made me laugh out loud…at the same time. We had just returned from a long weekend family vacation, and my grandson missed me. What more could a Babcia want!
Originally written 11/22/12
Dear Mom,
We wanted to take this time on Thanksgiving to let you know how thankful we are that you are in our lives. This past year was one of worry and angst for all of us, and we couldn’t imagine it being played out differently. When you had your fall, so many scary thoughts ran through our minds. We always seem to take for granted the impact you have had on our lives. You have been our truest source of inspiration since day one, and this year, we want to let you know that. You are the strongest person we know. You have been our biggest fan, strongest companion, and proudest mom! We are blessed to have a mother like you in our lives. Your sarcastic sense of humor makes us laugh (even when you pee your pants), your giving heart helps us through all our hard times (when we can’t seem to manage on our own), and your worldly knowledge helps guide us to making the right decisions in life. I’d like to thank you for taking over and being both our parents for a significant portion of our lives. I know Dad is looking down and is so proud of how you have raised us.
We have learned all about parenthood from you. You are truly a role model for all of us. We have become better parents through your constant guidance and support. We are blessed to have you as a Grandparent to our children. We are so thankful that the memories they will have throughout their lives will have you as a part of them. We remember having Babcia, Dziadzia, and Grandma in our lives, and we are so thankful that are children can experience the same.
There is a right time to tell you how we feel, and we felt like today was the best time to express it.
Thank you for everything you have done for us. We love you.
Love,
Matt, Julie, Kate, and Chrissie
“First 50 years are for learning…second 50 years are for living!”
Originally written in 1995
I always thought my journal would be full of my life experiences – some happy and some sad. I never thought I’d have to write the saddest and most heartbreaking entry. On May 29th, my dear husband, Terry passed away. I miss him so much. It’s hard to go on without him in my life. He was my best friend. I could tell him anything. He was always on my side. He loved me. There is this huge hole in my heart that can’t be filled. He was my lover. I miss his touch and the love we shared.
I know that the kids are so lost without him – each in his/her own way. Matt misses a dad who he can discuss sports and history with; Julie misses her #1 cheerleader; Katie misses the love and tenderness he always showed her; and Chrissie misses him for the security he brought to her and the family. She worries if we’re going to make it. I can’t say it out loud because it scares me and them, but I worry, too!
We probably will make it. I’m strong and I can still do most of the everyday things. But life doesn’t seem fun anymore. Terry was my fun – He was my date-maker, my frivolous spender, my entertainment planner. I will miss him in my life – every moment of every day!
Originally written in July 1993
My son will soon be going away to college. He can’t wait. I can’t wait. Our umbilical cord needs cutting quickly before it strangles us both. Don’t get me wrong, I love my son and somewhere deep in his heart I know he loves me too (or at least that’s what I like to tell myself).
He’s a GREAT kid. Ask anyone who knows him. They all say, ” He’s a wonderful young man”…”The kind of son I’d love to have”. I used to think those same thoughts too, but lately our relationship has become very strained. I really can’t remember the last time we actually said anything to each other that didn’t sound like a full-blown declaration of war.
My son is heavily into another rite of passage in his march to adulthood. This phase could be unscientifically labelled as “the-I’m-going-to-make-your-life-totally-miserable-so-that-when-I-leave-and-go-off-to-college-I-won’t-miss-you-so-much-and-you-won’t-miss-me-either” syndrome.
The other day we were at a family gathering and my son was discussing his college life with his uncle. I happened to be in earshot of their conversation. At the end of a rather serious dialogue, he jokingly added that his greatest fear is that when he leaves for college, we’ll move away and won’t leave a forwarding address. We all laughed. At that moment, we both knew we would survive this difficult time.
My son will do well. He has the inner drive to accomplish whatever he sets for himself as a goal. He has the resilience to never let life keep him down for too long. And as for me, I’ll survive, too. But it is too bad that there is no Advanced Lamaze class for giving birth to an adult child as there was years ago. It might make the pain easier to bear!
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