Love All Around

Seeing my children wake up from their sleep was just a pure pleasure. My son who always seems to arise earlier then my daughter was true to form yesterday morning. He has a constant joyful personality and this even happens in the morning whereas my daughter is a different story. My son was his pleasant self giving me a smile on the way to the bathroom. There is calmness about my son and I would categorize this as more serene then anything else. I took one look and was warm all other as he smiled back at me. He came over to me and gave me a hug and a kiss; this is what life is all about!!! The finer little moments that I haven’t experienced in two years have so much meaning and it is wonderful.

My daughter woke up about 30 minutes later and this was unusually earlier for her. Equally unusual was her demeanor as she too exhibited calmness, peaceful outlook which differs from her usual not so calm and not so serene. She came over to me and also gave me a hug and a kiss; this is the right way to start the day.

It was just the three of us as my wife had some things to do in the morning. I made a very simple breakfast of cereal for the three of us and we sat around the kitchen table talking. There wasn’t much talking because everyone was excited to get outside so we could play baseball. I was eager as well to get outside to finally “play” with my children.

We were able to play last year when they came to visit me but that just wasn’t the same as yesterday. We ventured across the street to the park and started to play catch. The two of them have gotten very good over the past two years and my son has quite the arm. He doesn’t have much control with the arm but it is a live on indeed. My daughter also has an arm for such a little girl and along with her arm she bats very well.

She has improved over these two years tremendously and did garner Most Improved Player status on her softball team. My son has talent but he for some reason seems to lack self-confidence in certain areas such as batting. He is a very good soccer player and has the confidence behind that sport but when it comes to batting there is a great deal of self doubt. This is something we will work on as we move forward.

It is July and this is New Jersey so the time we were outside was more exhausting due to the heat and humidity. My goodness was it humid with the temperature in the 90’s and the humidity level to match. Even my children had to take a break in the shaded area after about 30 minutes of playing. My son was sweaty because he has intensity when he is playing sports and ran inside to fetch some waters for everyone. Out “play” time together was magnificent and ended when my wife pulled up. We had to stop and really the children were ready to stop so this wasn’t an issue; because my wife had scheduled hair cuts for the children. We went as a family to the haircut place where my son’s locks were cut and my daughter’s hair was tended to.

After the rather lengthy expedition to the haircut place we came back and just lounged around while we waited to depart for my sister’s house. I had to sit next to both my son and daughter while we lounged and I had to hug and kiss them constantly. I can’t state this enough; I am blessed with an incredible family and seeing them all in one place adds to a wonderful sense of tranquility. I have to smile and feel warm all over when I look at these two amazing beings.

My mother arrived as she was joining us for the rest of the day at my sister’s house. It is always wonderful to see my mother but it was even more wonderful to see how well our children to react to her. There has been a bond that has been forged between our children and my mother especially my daughter. My daughter was the first one out the door to greet my mother while my son followed behind. There has been more positive that has occurred in the past two years then negative. Yes, I missed two years of my children’s lives but they have been and continue to be loved so very much.

On the drive to my sister’s house I had to make a stop to have my “permission slip” signed. Yes, another reminder of the fact that my life is still truly not my own; however; due to a very strong family bond this process was made so much easier. I had to have the “permission slip” signed by a member of the New Jersey State Police and I was able to do this yesterday afternoon without incident. I fulfilled the stipulation presented to me and now I have nothing to worry about. I really can’t believe how easy it was and simple the process again all due to family.

We arrived at my sister’s house where hugs and kisses were given all around. It was wonderful to see my sister and her family. Everyone looked great and once again I noticed a strong bond between our children and everyone in my sister’s family. My sister hasn’t exactly been a huge supporter of mine since this ordeal started over three years ago but she has been nothing but supportive to my wife and children; this was clearly evident yesterday.

My sister had a wonderful dinner, the children played very nicely in the pool and other assorted games. It was a great time for everyone and there were smiles all around. I got to see my nephew who is amazing with my son. I have forged a new relationship with my nephew over the past two years and his is such a great kid. He is a wonderful personality and puts up with my son (his little cousin) incredibly. It was equally as nice to see everyone in my sister’s family and she has amazing children. I am so impressed with everyone and how they have matured into great people.

I did have a great time yesterday all throughout the day and had some very good food to boot. There were so many blessings around and I am so grateful to everyone for their love. This is what it is all about; love, plain and simple. There was love all throughout the day and my children have not lacked love through this process. Now another chapter in the process is commencing and we will continue moving forward with this love and nothing but love.