Is it only June of 2006 when we all gathered in the yard celebrating the folks birthdays and Anniversary? The heart of the family was so pleased that day to have us all together again.
He and his honey had worked hard to set it all up, and he was additionally please when he came upon his tents on sale to shield us from the sun during the bar-b-que.
He had his siblings debating with him as he had gone and arranged for a new fridge for his mom, and a computer for his dad "from all of us", and one by one tore our checks up, we had come to him while he cooked and observed from his corner. He simply said
"let me do this" , and smiled his cockey ...I won smile as I shot his picture that would become a favorite of the family in the months to come. He was always so happy if he won a round with us, he enjoyed it the way some people like me enjoy bartering on the christmas tree price each year.
He and his honey had worked hard to set it all up, and he was additionally please when he came upon his tents on sale to shield us from the sun during the bar-b-que.
He had his siblings debating with him as he had gone and arranged for a new fridge for his mom, and a computer for his dad "from all of us", and one by one tore our checks up, we had come to him while he cooked and observed from his corner. He simply said
"let me do this" , and smiled his cockey ...I won smile as I shot his picture that would become a favorite of the family in the months to come. He was always so happy if he won a round with us, he enjoyed it the way some people like me enjoy bartering on the christmas tree price each year.
He was very pleased that day and commented that he was very happy to see the whole family together, everyone had made it in for this occassion, that was why the big smiles for our picture taking.
It was a wonderful day that he watched from his command station near the grill. He has been the heart of our family for so long. The arranger, the Christmas Santa, the baker, the fixer, the financier when you'd bottom out, the main troubleshooter for all our problems. This day he found fun in putting the beer and leftovers into the old frig which had now been moved to his corner, he didn't have to carry it all back up the stairs, at least not that day.
He is my husbands brother. He is my third brother. He is my son's Uncle and GodFather. He has always loved us, even when we were naughty, maybe more when we were naughty.
Then came the seizures, the bicycle, and his own new way of reaching work. Hard for a proud man.
Then came the surgery on his birthday for this Octopus of a brain cancer, that had mostly returned three months later, and each month more., and more.
Loss of speech, loss of limbs, loss of doing all the things he thrived on, and even simple house cleaning, or walking down to the front porch to chit chat, gone slowly being robbed. And all the pain the Octopus brings with it as it wins.
Last saturday was one of the last times his eyes opened, a slight confused look, and then he got it, the eye sight was going, distorted, he closed his eyes and leaned back into his favorite chair.
On sunday, he began his shutdown, his honey and I believe the eyesight was his own internal signal of no more, I am tired he decided, and so he prepared to exit through the portal to our next level. He was going to heaven and we were heading for temporary hell.
He passed through the portal about 1:21am on thurday 6/7/07, and he opened his eyes then, and his wife and children told him they would be okay, and that he would be okay, and that they were allowing him to go on, and as an easy 10 years of pain brought age flew off his face, and he looked so beautiful, I knew that he found the portal everything we told him it would be, and I also knew that somehow the Octopus did not win, our Michael was the winner.
May God and our heaven hold you safely till we meet again. Say hi to my folks and Lauren they're waiting for you.
Your adopted, but loving sister,
Kathy M aka: Rick's Kathy
It was a wonderful day that he watched from his command station near the grill. He has been the heart of our family for so long. The arranger, the Christmas Santa, the baker, the fixer, the financier when you'd bottom out, the main troubleshooter for all our problems. This day he found fun in putting the beer and leftovers into the old frig which had now been moved to his corner, he didn't have to carry it all back up the stairs, at least not that day.
He is my husbands brother. He is my third brother. He is my son's Uncle and GodFather. He has always loved us, even when we were naughty, maybe more when we were naughty.
Then came the seizures, the bicycle, and his own new way of reaching work. Hard for a proud man.
Then came the surgery on his birthday for this Octopus of a brain cancer, that had mostly returned three months later, and each month more., and more.
Loss of speech, loss of limbs, loss of doing all the things he thrived on, and even simple house cleaning, or walking down to the front porch to chit chat, gone slowly being robbed. And all the pain the Octopus brings with it as it wins.
Last saturday was one of the last times his eyes opened, a slight confused look, and then he got it, the eye sight was going, distorted, he closed his eyes and leaned back into his favorite chair.
On sunday, he began his shutdown, his honey and I believe the eyesight was his own internal signal of no more, I am tired he decided, and so he prepared to exit through the portal to our next level. He was going to heaven and we were heading for temporary hell.
He passed through the portal about 1:21am on thurday 6/7/07, and he opened his eyes then, and his wife and children told him they would be okay, and that he would be okay, and that they were allowing him to go on, and as an easy 10 years of pain brought age flew off his face, and he looked so beautiful, I knew that he found the portal everything we told him it would be, and I also knew that somehow the Octopus did not win, our Michael was the winner.
May God and our heaven hold you safely till we meet again. Say hi to my folks and Lauren they're waiting for you.
Your adopted, but loving sister,
Kathy M aka: Rick's Kathy
2 comments:
It is now 365 days passed since 6/7/07 and I still miss seeing you in person, talking to you in person, I miss the humor reflecting out of your beautiful brown eyes, I miss your hand gestures when making a point, I miss your adjusting your glasses similar to how my own dad did that, I miss you saying " That there" when giving us multiple solutions to "that there" problem, yes I too have called your phone just to hear your voice, I see you sitting on the weight bench still during our bar-b-ques, I feel you push up the wind at key moments when no words are needed, I see you in the clouds on summer days and I am waiting for the butterflies to be as prominent as they were in 2007 to really know if you are still observing and guiding us, or if you have moved on until later....when more of us head your way. I still love you is what I am saying, and I still thank you for your grace in letting us stay with you, and for all the years of Santa and the true meaning of christmas that you gave so willingly to us your kin and adopted kin as well. You were a very special candle who did not extinguish easily. I am glad you are one of my co-pilots. Love you Mike, see you later, Rick's Kath
Oh my firend it has been such a long haul, we still miss seeing you and getting your take on things. In many walks of our lives the family unit broke down to some degree without your guidance or perspectives being given. The ones you counted on to remain close at hand have strayed somewhat unable to stay in touch due to the pain it gives them, it easier for them to avoid us instead., and the relationships you thought might be volitable throughout time have hung tough and seem to be unbreakable, so go figure, no one can predict family. No one can know that heartbreak could possibly bring division to those who had all stood so strongly together, our first year after was our best and after that when the pain still lingered, we seemed to have turned away in weariness or from too much baggage weighing on our shoulders.
Conversations that should have happened never did, but the minds carried them out in some and then they could not stand strong any longer.
Some have tried hard to keep all of the promises made, and oddly enough those have healed to some extent I suspect with your guiding hands.
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