We lovingly remember...
Before my grandfather "Papa Geno" went to be with Hospice and then went to be with Jesus, he sat down with his wife and children and asked that there be no funeral or formal memorial. Funeral homes charge big bucks for every service they provide and his belief was that not many people would come to a funeral home anyway.
I personally believe that the funeral home would've been packed, had Papa wanted to go that route. I mean, just look at that stack of cards {above}! That stack is only what my grandmother received, and doesn't include cards sent to my uncle and my stepdad.
Last Sunday in lieu of a formal gathering, our immediate family got together for a nice lunch out and just enjoyed one another while remembering Papa Geno and his lasting impact on all of our lives. After lunch I got to read every one of those cards and it was so touching to read what people wrote about a very special man in my life.
You see, the man above {my stepdad} is not at all related to me by blood, and isn't even married to my mom anymore. Yet he and his parents {Papa Geno and Grandma Lulu} have been in my life since I was two years old and even though his and my mom's marriage did not work out {they divorced after 15 or so years together}, his family has remained an important part of my life. They have always loved me like their own, and I have always loved them and appreciated them as mine.
So this Sunday luncheon was very special to us all. It was a gentle reminder of the ties that bond family and the love among all of us. It was a time to remember, and a time to allow Papa's legacy to live on. It was a time to just converse, to just be together, to just be us.
You'd never even know that just before this lunch Scott and I had packed over 7300 meals for Feed My Starving Children {we clean up well!}.
I am so grateful for my Lulu and Papa and for all they have taught me, shown me and shared with me in this life. I could not imagine kinder people to all around them, and their caring spirits now shine through their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
So while it will never be the same without our dear Papa, we all will take a little piece of him in our hearts wherever we may go. We will miss him, we will continue to mourn the passing of him, and we will continue to remember him.
Thank you Papa for all of the memories, for all of the traditions you have passed down to this family, for your passion for the Buckeyes that I will remember everytime I watch a football game and most of all for passing on your strength, your attitude, your loving nature and your wisdom to all of us! We lovingly remember...
I personally believe that the funeral home would've been packed, had Papa wanted to go that route. I mean, just look at that stack of cards {above}! That stack is only what my grandmother received, and doesn't include cards sent to my uncle and my stepdad.Last Sunday in lieu of a formal gathering, our immediate family got together for a nice lunch out and just enjoyed one another while remembering Papa Geno and his lasting impact on all of our lives. After lunch I got to read every one of those cards and it was so touching to read what people wrote about a very special man in my life.
You see, the man above {my stepdad} is not at all related to me by blood, and isn't even married to my mom anymore. Yet he and his parents {Papa Geno and Grandma Lulu} have been in my life since I was two years old and even though his and my mom's marriage did not work out {they divorced after 15 or so years together}, his family has remained an important part of my life. They have always loved me like their own, and I have always loved them and appreciated them as mine.
So this Sunday luncheon was very special to us all. It was a gentle reminder of the ties that bond family and the love among all of us. It was a time to remember, and a time to allow Papa's legacy to live on. It was a time to just converse, to just be together, to just be us.
You'd never even know that just before this lunch Scott and I had packed over 7300 meals for Feed My Starving Children {we clean up well!}.
I am so grateful for my Lulu and Papa and for all they have taught me, shown me and shared with me in this life. I could not imagine kinder people to all around them, and their caring spirits now shine through their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 
So while it will never be the same without our dear Papa, we all will take a little piece of him in our hearts wherever we may go. We will miss him, we will continue to mourn the passing of him, and we will continue to remember him.
Thank you Papa for all of the memories, for all of the traditions you have passed down to this family, for your passion for the Buckeyes that I will remember everytime I watch a football game and most of all for passing on your strength, your attitude, your loving nature and your wisdom to all of us! We lovingly remember...
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