Who knew...
I believe that I forgot to mention, that aside from raising the "gay Brady Bunch" Martina and I were also temporary guardians of our grandson Alex from 2010-2012.
At the age of 44, the last thing I would have expected was that I would be chasing after a toddler again, but let me tell you, having Alex with us was a true blessing in disguise! Not only were we able to have a positive and lasting effect on his development, but we, the whole household, thoroughly enjoyed having him as one of the family.
Melding two families, as I'm sure some of you know, is not for the faint of heart. There are many hurdles, some obvious, and some that lay beneath the surface, but all are equally as challenging. Having Alex come to live with us was instrumental in solidifying our family. His arrival was something that was new to all of us, and it therefore gave our kids something to bond over. We will always be so proud of the way that they all stepped up to the challenge. They all loved him, protected him, and helped take care of him. He touched every one of our hearts in ways that cannot be described and we are a stronger family because of him.
In August of 2012, Alex's father decided it was time to take him to live in ND with his new family and, just like that, Alex was gone from our home and from our lives. There was no transition, no consideration for us or for what was the best way to handle this for Alex, no way for us to prepare ourselves or Alex for this dramatic change in his surroundings and his life. As a result, after that time, we had little or no contact with Alex. The loss was profound, but thanks to Alex, we were able to navigate those months as a strong and supportive family, no longer as individual people living under one roof.
As some of you may already know, on Thursday, March 14, 2013 we were notified that our beautiful grandson Alex was brought into a hospital in ND by his parents. He was not breathing, and sadly the doctors were not able to revive him. He was 2 1/2 years old. As you may imagine, the news of Alex's death was shocking and devastating.
It is unthinkable that this little life with so much love and joy to give, is over almost before it had a chance to begin. But those of you who had the pleasure of meeting Alex, even for a moment, know that in the short time he was here, he overcame more struggles and touched more hearts than many do in a lifetime. As his family, we take great comfort in the fact that although his life was short, we had the honor of being the ones to share the majority of that life with him and he has left us with a lifetime of wonderful memories.
Alex's death will rank among the hardest events of my life, but I would do it all again without a second thought! Oma G loves you Alex! A bushel and a peck!
At the age of 44, the last thing I would have expected was that I would be chasing after a toddler again, but let me tell you, having Alex with us was a true blessing in disguise! Not only were we able to have a positive and lasting effect on his development, but we, the whole household, thoroughly enjoyed having him as one of the family.
Melding two families, as I'm sure some of you know, is not for the faint of heart. There are many hurdles, some obvious, and some that lay beneath the surface, but all are equally as challenging. Having Alex come to live with us was instrumental in solidifying our family. His arrival was something that was new to all of us, and it therefore gave our kids something to bond over. We will always be so proud of the way that they all stepped up to the challenge. They all loved him, protected him, and helped take care of him. He touched every one of our hearts in ways that cannot be described and we are a stronger family because of him.
In August of 2012, Alex's father decided it was time to take him to live in ND with his new family and, just like that, Alex was gone from our home and from our lives. There was no transition, no consideration for us or for what was the best way to handle this for Alex, no way for us to prepare ourselves or Alex for this dramatic change in his surroundings and his life. As a result, after that time, we had little or no contact with Alex. The loss was profound, but thanks to Alex, we were able to navigate those months as a strong and supportive family, no longer as individual people living under one roof.
As some of you may already know, on Thursday, March 14, 2013 we were notified that our beautiful grandson Alex was brought into a hospital in ND by his parents. He was not breathing, and sadly the doctors were not able to revive him. He was 2 1/2 years old. As you may imagine, the news of Alex's death was shocking and devastating.
It is unthinkable that this little life with so much love and joy to give, is over almost before it had a chance to begin. But those of you who had the pleasure of meeting Alex, even for a moment, know that in the short time he was here, he overcame more struggles and touched more hearts than many do in a lifetime. As his family, we take great comfort in the fact that although his life was short, we had the honor of being the ones to share the majority of that life with him and he has left us with a lifetime of wonderful memories.
Alex's death will rank among the hardest events of my life, but I would do it all again without a second thought! Oma G loves you Alex! A bushel and a peck!
Gigi...I cannot believe you have never written before..the words just flow...life throws everyone curve balls and I love to hear other stories as it reminds me that everyone has a story and it is these stories that sometimes help us through...hope to see you at the reunion!
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