When I was a little girl, my family used to go out to see my Baba & Gedo (Grandparents) every Sunday. When I say my family, I mean ALL of them. Numerous Aunts, Uncles & Cousins would pile into this little house for a delicious Ukrainian feast. My Baba loved to cook. She had 11 children of her own, so once they all grew up, moved out and had families of their own she found it a tad difficult to cook for the two of them left in the house. She, like the rest of us, looked forward to Sundays.
After we stuffed our bellies with food, our parents would sit and talk while us kids would scurry off to play. Baba & Gedo lived in a small town about an hour away from the city. I loved going out there. We could walk from one end of the town to the other in under a half hour. We always found stuff to do. Whether it was hanging out at the Grotto, where we would play hide and seek behind the many Jesus & Mary statues, or wondering what was inside the house in a hill (Yep, that's right...it was IN a hill) or playing in the lonely & abandoned broken down park located in the middle of nowhere. Every Sunday was a day we would actually USE our imaginations.
Baba & Gedo were a funny pair. When it came time to go home, Baba would call us over seperately & secretly to give her a hug & kiss goodbye. That would be when she would give us anywhere between a dollar & five dollars to put in our piggy bank when we got home. Then there was my Gedo. He would do the very same thing, only he would ask me to guess what was in his shirt pocket. I always knew because I could see the outline of it sitting at the bottom of the pocket and he did this every Sunday. It was a pack of Lifesavers. He knew I loved them and gave them to me before we left for home. However, we were told NOT to tell our parents that we got any money from them and to put it in our piggy banks and get rich.
They were funny.
In 1982, my Gedo passed away. A few years later, my Baba moved to the city so the family could have her closer and she wouldn't be living so far away by herself.
I sure do miss those days.
You are probably wondering why I am telling this story. Well, here's why.
In 1993, I gave birth to my first born child, Michael. He came into my life during a difficult time and helped me to grow into who I am today. If it wasn't for him, I can honestly say that I wouldn't be here today. I named him Michael after my Gedo, for he infact WAS my Lifesaver.
Today is his Birthday. He would be 12 and hopefully enjoying Grade 6. I have always wondered what he would be like today. What he would look like, sound like, smell like and if his hugs are just as wonderful as they were when he was 4.
I miss him so much. I long to hear the 4 special words he would say to me every day.
"I love you Mommy"
Happy 12 th Birthday Mikey!
I Miss you, I Love you & I wish you were here with me.
Loving you always,
Mommy
XOXO
4 comments:
I miss him too. He will always look after you, Chan and especially Lucas. He will always be young, he will always be adorable and he will always be precious. And you are right, he was your lifesaver and for that, we will always be grateful.
Man, I miss those Mundare days. We must take Lucas to the Grotto one day and show him where we used to spend countless hours playing, making up stories as we stepped into our own magical world. Good times...good times.
Happy B-day, there Buddy.
xoxo
Con LeBon
Me again. I love that pic so much, for it's like looking at you. Those eyes, that grin and his hands.
So kewl.
I am sure Mikey is there with you, helping you look after Lucas. He would be so proud of you. You are such a strong amazing person and I cherish you and will always be here for you. Just as Mikey is always here for you. love you.
jenn u are the strongest woman i know. mikey is such an amazing little guy from what ive hear. i wish i could have met him. he will always be with u in ur heart.
luv sam
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