some things I just wanted you to know...

Recently we were given some very sad news about a family member that is near & dear to our hearts, our Uncle John. We found out that his cancer was terminal.After a few short weeks in Hospice my Uncle John passed away today. Hopefully his last moments were peaceful. My Aunt Donna & Uncle John were married for over fifty six years so this is going to be such a difficult transition for her. I ask that you continue to keep her in your prayers! May the memories she holds dear bring her comfort during this very sad time! As my children have reminded me this morning not only is he in Heaven but he is also in our hearts! Boy do I LOVE them! They know just what to say and when to say it!

In my almost forty years of life It seems that I have experienced a lot of death. I have lost all of my Grandparents, my Father, Great Aunts, Great Uncles, an Uncle, a cousin & now another Uncle. I have dealt with each death differently. Nothing makes losing a family member any less painful. I just deal with it as best I can and cherish the memories I have. I feel like I was SO very lucky to have my Uncle John live not that far from me most of my life. If ever there was a "favorite" Uncle it was him! I think he knew it too! I LOVED him SO much & feel I need to share some special memories of mine so our children will be able to know him. Here's some of the special moments that stick out to me!

During most of my life Uncle John as been this larger than life kind of guy. When I was little we would go over to their house at least once or twice a month. We would eat, hang out & most of all swim! This was a BIG deal because we did NOT have a pool! You see my ENTIRE family was involved in the swimming pool business yet we did NOT have a pool at our own house. My dad would say that the reason we did not have one was due to how expensive they were to keep up. I enjoyed those Sunday afternoons full of swimming! I remember when we would arrive at their door each one of his sons, my cousins, would get up from whatever they were doing & greet us with a hug & a kiss. I remember that like it was yesterday. Some part of me feels that those manners came from him & it's my hope that our children will follow in those good manners. Oh how I miss those Sundays spent at their house!

A few memories stick out in my mind about him. Remember how I feel that everyone has a "story" well I have a few to share about him! [= I was somewhat close in age to his grandchildren and he treated me just like one of them. I can remember how he would hold up four bills in front of his granddaughters and me; there was a one, a five, a ten & a twenty then he would ask me to pick one. He always asked me first because I was the oldest. Being older also made me know the real value of each bill. I started out picking the one & he would say, "Now Cathy you pick the one you really want!". I picked the one dollar bill a few times until he eventually made me take the twenty! Even then he knew what I wanted! [= He would then tell me to go down to the local grocery store & buy myself something. Even back them it was usually CHOCOLATE! [=

Another thing I will always treasure is his cooking. I LOVED his Greek food! SO SO yummy! Whenever we would visit he would ALWAYS have a pot of something on the stove. He made sure to feed us or send us home with food! His grape leaves were out of this world! Over the years my Aunt took over many of the cooking duties and although they are just as yummy they are not touched by his hands. Sorry Aunt Donna I still love you & your cooking! (= In fact MANY years ago he sat me down & taught me how to cook some of his family recipes! All I can say is that he puts even the BEST Greek restaurant to shame! While he was showing me how to fold the grape leaves he told me this would win over any man I ended up with! You know that old adage, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Well my Uncle John truly believed that!

From what I have been told he was very excited to hear that Michael & I were finally expecting! Then when he heard it was quadruplets he shared news of our pregnancy with everyone. Gotta love Uncle John! [= I also think he had a hand in the prayer dept. For if not for so many people praying for us I do not think the tribe would even be here today! Since having them I tried to make it a point to stop in & see them as I ventured South towards my mom's house. In the beginning they would be in their infant carriers & I'd bring them in one by one to see him. On a few occasions my Aunt was not even there. Oh the aroma of their kitchen... All I can say is YUM! As the tribe got older they would walk in, what a sight seeing all four of them waddling in like little ducklings! Uncle John was SO proud of them. One visit he made me take pictures of him with each one of them. Oh do I remember that day! The babies were NOT cooperating! Cranky is an understatement! A picture is a picture but I really would have liked to catch them smiling in one of them! [= Family is SO important & people tend to forget that!

This morning was EXTRA hard, I had to tell them that Uncle John was in Heaven with Grandpa. You know what they did?! They proceeded to tell me that he was in their hearts! Oh how I love them so! They knew just what to say to me! Here I am trying to let them know who he was & they remembered him! Brendan tells me I played with Kristee, my cousin & Uncle John's granddaughter. Then Linz said I gave him a kiss. I couldn't believe she said that! Some children may get scared of seeing people with wires & oxygen tubes but not her, she had compassion. She saw through all of that! These children of ours have this AWESOME memory! I really do not know where they get it! They can remember things from last year, CRAZY but true! I am just SO happy that I was able to bring them to see him before he passed! These are just...

some things I just wanted you to know...