Chasing Rainbows: Keep The Faith, Always...

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Keep The Faith, Always...

Happy Easter, Pop! I wish you were here.

We went to see your grave today. Tom and his family...Mike and his family drove up from Virginia...Bean and her family...Ed, the boys and I...and of course, Mom. Meg couldn't make it this time, but she was here in spirit.

It was definitely surreal to see this...

Mike brought an old baseball and had all the grandchildren sign it.

And Mom brought you a single red rose. Something you did for her for over 50 years. I love your headstone. It has your rank in the Navy, your service in the Korean war, your birthday (two days after mine!) and the day you died. But my favorite part is the very bottom. Your favorite saying, "Keep the Faith"...and your song with Mom, "Always". I know you appreciate the play on words. You loved a good play on words. It seems as if it's a message from the grave to anyone passing by - to Keep the Faith, Always. That's you - Mr. Encouragement. Even after you're gone.

I'm sure you loved seeing all of us together.

But something tells me you were there with us.

I took some photos of the boys outside yesterday. If you had been here you would have been a big help - standing behind me and whistling or singing to get them to look at the camera.

But maybe you were here.

It's been a while since I was able to get a great picture of the boys together. I know you had a hand in this!

Brian has been so anti-camera lately. But for the past two days he's surprised us with two random things.

He's been talking about seeing Pop. Wanting to visit Pop.

And the other shocking thing? He ASKED to pose for these pictures!!

So, whatever you're doing, Pop - thank you. Maybe you're whispering in their ear. Or singing Tiddly Winky. Don't ever stop.

Tomorrow morning the Easter Bunny will come and leave fun presents and maybe a Lollipop or two. And then we'll head to Mom's and have dinner with "the gang", as you would say. This is the day you could FINALLY eat sweets after a long Lenten sacrifice. I will be sure to eat lots of desserts - you know, as a tribute to you. See that? It's a win win, Dad. You keep getting my kids to pose and smile for pictures - and I'll keep eating desserts in honor of you.

And I'll keep on keeping the faith. Always.

Happy Easter, Dad. I love you!

2 comments:

UnknownSeptember 16, 2013 at 6:53 PM
Your dad was most definitely their with you all that day! You can see him in the orb in the final picture of his headstone... What a lucky family
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AnonymousOctober 22, 2013 at 10:47 PM
I have spent the past 2 hours reading through your older blog entries, and when I came across this one, I was a bit surprised. I knew immediately where your father is buried. I commented on a blog of your the other night, about having to make adjustments after the loss of a child, and expecting a new baby. Well, my husband is in the military, and when our little girl went to heaven, we had her buried in the same cemetery. It is such a small world. I wanted you to know that I am honored to have our little angel resting within the same gates, both on earth and in Heaven, as your father. From your posts, I know he was a wonderful man! We will be sure to leave flowers for him when we stop by next time to visit Mikayla. Much love from the McDonough family!
-Sarah McDonough <3
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Gavin's Playground Project

Gavin's Playground Project was born from my desire to see an "All Abilities" playground built at Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware. This is the hospital where Gavin spent a lot of time during his life... and where he ultimately died, surrounded by friendly and familiar faces. To mark the one year anniversary of his death, I held a fundraiser on April 5, 2014. You can read all about it in THIS post.

We raised a LOT of money, but not enough for a playground! If you would like to contribute to help make this playground a reality - so no kids will ever have to sit on the sidelines watching their peers play - you can contribute directly to the hospital through the Chasing Rainbows fundraising page HERE. Your donation will go directly to the hospital for the playground and is tax deductible. You can also create your own fundraising team page and start collecting donations in honor of anyone you want!! There is also a mailing address on their page if you prefer to mail a check. Designate your contribution in memory of Gavin Leong - or write in that this is for the playground so your dollars will go to the right place. Thank you for your support of Gavin's Playground Project!

Gavin's Trust Project

I created "Gavin's Trust Project" to help support Gavin's friends who receive services from the Chester County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania. I wanted to continue to try to "make the impossible... possible" for kids like Gavin, knowing well how hard it can be to get much needed "special needs" items. It makes me happy to know that even after his death, Gavin continues to help others. Click HERE to learn more about the Trust Project! All of your donations, big and small, will be added to Gavin's Trust Project to help therapists and teachers get what they need for children in this program. You can write a check made out to CCIU and mail it to: Chester County Intermediate Unit, c/o Deb Hiller, 455 Boot Rd., Downingtown, PA 19335. Please be sure to add "Gavin's Trust Project" in the memo. Thank you on behalf of me and my little superhero!