A Birthday That's Never Forgotten

 

 

                                         This is a picture of how Daniel might look at 28.

 

 

 

                 Tomorrow would have been Daniel's twenty-eighth birthday had he remained here on Earth rather than departed sixteen years ago, of presumed sudden arrhythmic death syndrome at age 12 1/2.  Immediate CPR did no good in this instance, and when the sheriff brought the AED, too much time had elapsed.

           On these birthdays I always take a moment to think about what he might be doing had he remained, and how we might have celebrated this day.   Instead, I still man the fort, or the farm as it is, and try to find ways to keep sane, now missing two beloved sons from Earth, both Daniel and Matthew.

                 I still think of you an awful lot and I remember your conversations and thoughts you had.  Gosh Daniel, you were so intelligent and so wise.  No wonder God needed to call you home.

 

                This year, I am going to try to celebrate your life differently than with grieving.   Perhaps rather than being sad, and after sixteen years, I can simply celebrate your life and your time spent here on both the day of your birth, and on the day of your passing.  Lets see how that goes.

 

                 In any event, I am one day closer to seeing you again.  It's a fact I keep tucked in my pocket, a bit like a secret gift, but try not to talk too much about because it upsets the other members of the family.

 

 

                                                          Daniel departed Earth at 12 1/2

 

 

                 Happy Birthday, Daniel.    I love you wider than the oceans and deeper than the seas.

 

    Yes, I can hear you, but I doubt you could possibly "love me more" than I love you.

 

The House Where Daniel was Born

Our daughter Stephanie, having just graduated from college has been going to job interviews. One of these interviews took her to the town about 100 miles from here, in which we lived, prior to moving out to the country and building the farms. Yesterday, after the interview, she stopped by our old house, and tried to take pictures without being seen.
Although I have a certain fondness for anywhere we have lived, I am not a greatly sentimental person with regard to houses. Home really is where you family is, and homes can grow and change as your family does. Still, this was the home we had when Daniel was born. He came home from the hospital to his beautiful bedroom. He learned to walk there. He spent lots of time in the beautiful back yard in a playpen as I sat there standing guard. He once fell into the small pond in the back yard while we were right there. Fortunately, he was fine.
We sold there in order to give our children opportunities to have horses, livestock, and a rural life, and we have done these things. They also had the opportunity to watch not one but two rural homes be built, and to help with the building of barns and other farm structures. Still looking at the picture of this house and remembering I wonder if staying there, being closer to the city and the opportunities it held, especially in a difficult economy, might not have been so bad.
I remember when it was time to move from this home to the new one, that we told Daniel, and as a tot he said, "We can't sell this house. It's too heavy !" We actually did keep this house for about two years, renting it, in the event that we chose to come back. I am really happy to have these pictures.