Mike passed away peacefully Friday, March 24, 2017. He was 62 years old. As quickly as the disease took him from us, I think the family will agree that it was a long and difficult time for everyone involved, especially Mike. ALS took so much from him and us. Aside from the obvious, the muscle movement, ability to speak, eat and ultimately breathe, etc., what I hate most is that it took away his cheerful demeanor. He always seemed so carefree and content. If you were lucky enough to attend his service and hear the words spoken about him from his oldest friend Lynn, his client Wanda, and Jeremy, all three eulogies had the same exact takeaways. First, he loved his LSU Tigers. I think that will be the hardest part for Jeremy moving forward; not getting to talk LSU sports with his dad. But wouldn't you know, just last month, Jasper has finally started coming around to the idea of sports and he's suddenly interested in learning baseball with Jeremy. They've been practicing catching and throwing the ball, and Jeremy has been explaining the game as they watch tigers baseball. I bet Mike had a hand in that. Second, he loved his friends and his family, and spending time with them. When it came to vacations with the family, the cost of the trip didn't matter. What mattered was that we were all together. And when it came to standing up for his family, he'd never back down. And finally, how he loved his grandsons. I think the thing Mike was most sad about was not getting to see his grandchildren grow up. His last words to me were "Take care of my little buddies." He was such a proud pawpaw. When Jeremy was pulling files from his computer for work after Mike had passed, he came across so many saved pictures of the boys. I'm sad that they won't know him the way Jeremy did. Thankfully, and possibly the reason Jeremy is handling his dad's passing so well is, Mike truly is a part of Jeremy. They are one in the same, and Jeremy finds peace in knowing that. He is made up of some of the best things about Mike, and there's no doubt that our children will grow up knowing who PawPaw was and the kind of man, husband, father and grandfather he was.
This was Jasper and Mike's last hug and kiss.
This is the last picture that we took of Mike, with Joy, Jeremy and Patrick
praying together for him while he slept, just before he passed.
As difficult as it is, and as insensitive as it feels for me to begin this next paragraph and simply move on from the tragedy of losing Mike, that's how life is--it keeps going. Just like starting a new chapter in a book, we have started a new chapter in our lives. We'll forever keep Mike and his memory in our hearts. But with two children and one on the way, we have no choice but to keep going. With that said, we've found a new normal; celebrating birthdays, Easter and Mother's Day, just as we did before, with family and good friends, and creating happy memories for our boys.
In April, we celebrated quite a few birthdays, but Mom's was especially significant, as this was her 70th. She was surrounded by her favorite people, especially her boys, as we enjoyed a jazz brunch at our favorite restaurant, Muriel's.
We hosted another successful Easter Egg Hunt on Florida Blvd., providing over 300 Easter eggs for all the neighborhood kids, along with games and freeze pops. The Easter bunny made an appearance and was a hit with all of the kids. Grandpa joined the boys to help them collect all of the eggs that their baskets couldn't hold. We'll most likely have a supply of skittles, gummies and other candies til Halloween. Oh, and as an added bonus, I'm happy to report that BOTH boys smiled for this year's picture with the Easter bunny!
On Saturday, April 22nd, Jasper and Sam visited Tiger Stadium for the first time as they attended the LSU Spring Game. We spent the entire weekend, just the four of us, in Baton Rouge, enjoying LSU, the parade grounds, the stadium, The Chimes, Mike the Tiger (the bronze one), and we even fit in a nice visit with Nannan and Uncle Timmy, along with Brittany at her baby shower. It was a positively wonderful and well deserved family weekend for the four of us. I know Mike was there with us, smiling as our boys cheered on our tigers.
We spent Jeremy's birthday with our boys at their school's field day. The weather was cool and breezy, and all of the kiddos had a fun day running around, jumping in the bounce houses, riding tricycles, and especially throwing water balloons at the teachers. I look forward to more vacation days when I don't have to save up my maternity leave. I can guarantee that it will involve being at as many school events as possible, holding their hands and kissing their foreheads while they still let me.
Jasper graduated from kindergarten Friday, May 12th. I'd be lying if I said that we breezed through the year. He certainly kept his teachers on their toes, often getting more red, orange and yellow checks than green. In fact, I think he only got three blue checks all year. One was a half day and one was a substitute teacher. I have to admit though, some of those notes home were pretty entertaining. I think that my favorite one was "Jasper slapped a girl on her bottom, told a kid he wasn't a cool kid and had trouble listening." And yes, that was all in one day. In fact, there were often footnotes used to better explain his orange and red checks, simply because there just wasn't enough room on the calendar day. We're hoping son, that you eventually learn some self control. In the meantime, we'll be praying for your first grade teacher.
Jasper and Sam's last full day of school.
This last year was hard for us. Really hard. I feel like a cloud was lifted though. For me, this Mother's Day wasn't about what I do for my family, and getting cards and presents. All I could think about this Mother's Day was how my family makes me feel; the satisfaction I get from being married to such a good person, and being loved so much by my children. Getting married and having a family wasn't just something that happened to me. It has become my purpose, and I am both thankful and at peace.
