Saying Goodbye

This past Sunday (October 28th) we had a family get together to say goodbye to two important individuals; my Uncle and the little guy my parents were trying to adopt. My Uncle has been deployed to Kuwait for at least 10 months. He is leaving behind a wife and a 7 year old daughter. The little boy my Dad and Step-Mom were trying to adopt has been adopted by his paternal grandparents. We also celebrated my Grandma’s birthday.

We gathered for lunch at a local restaurant and tried to make the best of the afternoon. We all enjoyed our lunch and tried to save room for dessert. We headed back to my Grandma’s where she had way too many desserts set out! Of course she sent all the left overs home with us! We spent time talking with one another and tried to keep the environment a happy one despite what would be happening in just less than a week. My cousin and the little boy we tried adopting were ready for present time and couldn’t wait any longer to help Grandma open them. She is an individual who is very frugal with her money, so each year we load her up with the basic essentials (mainly from the dollar store). We also get her 1-2 nice gifts as well. This year she got 2 sweaters. She gets a kick out of it each year!

The evening started to wine down a bit and we still had one last thing to do before we all left. My Aunt (my Uncle’s wife) brought with her Chinese Lanterns. I have posted a picture for those who aren’t exactly sure what they are. There is a small piece of cardboard that has already been soaked in fluid. So all you do is light that piece of cardboard and allow the lantern to fill with air. Once it is filled you let it soar into the sky for good luck. Note: I would suggest doing this on a day where there is no wind. We learned that the wind doesn’t allow for the lantern to go straight in the air, it moves in the direction the wind is going.

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Once we let both of our lanterns into the sky we watched them drift off into the distance for a while and then headed back in. We said a prayer for my Uncle and a prayer for Little Boy. Many tears were falling because of how much we will miss each of them. We hugged and hugged and hugged my Uncle goodbye and wished him the best of luck. Little Boy hugged and hugged and hugged everyone goodbye and would say, “I’m going to New York and I will never see you again.” Struck my heart every time.

We as a family know that both my Uncle and Little Boy have God watching over them. We know both of them will be just fine, but are selfishly wishing they were still with us.

Uncle Don- We will see you in what we are all praying to be a short 10 months. We will certainly miss you. Your wife and daughter will not be left alone. They have us to keep them company and distract them from what is happening to their lives. I will spend as much time with them as possible.

Little Boy- I sure hope I get to see you next time Grandma and Grandpa bring you back to visit your foster family. You will be missed tremendously. I hope you are beginning to live the life you deserve and will be a good person like you promised us. We miss you and love you so much.