MLK Day 2019

Nana January 21, 2019 0Comments

Dear Guillianna and Elijah –

Today is Monday and it is Martin Luther King Day- whom I am certain you are learning about at school.   I  also think you may have today off school.   As your long weekend comes to an end and you prepare for a new week this love letter as are all the others is to send you a message of more love.     This holiday is supposed to remind us of the importance of  treating others with kindness, respect.  To value human life.   To live in a world where all humans are treated with equality and diversity is not only acceptable but welcomed.     We hope that one day soon your able to see us again, that the feelings of kindness prevail and a bridge can be formed to see that everyone loves both of you,  no matter where or how the love originated no matter if we are grandparents, or “just babysitters” or “dispensable” to your parents, no matter what issues have clouded the vision of dreams and  have precluded the potential that exists for love to win; we hope you will always know that when you allow the heart to feel, the doors to happiness will open.

Never will your Nana and Poppy feel there are choices to make in love- we hope for you to have love for your mom and dad, to be allowed to love all your family, be it grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and know there is no choosing, no need to deny yourselves the love of anyone else in order to make Nana and Poppy pleased.  Know  that the memories are true and good that nothing can change them.   We have no idea what you’ve been told – the questions you must have like, “why doesn’t anyone call you? What happened to all of us in the Mitten and to the family and friends you had been so close with ?    Why do you not see any of us?  Why have you been unable to talk to the great grandparents who have always loved you both ?”   What possible reason could be given to small children for such huge loss and withdrawal?     Are these people you loved so much, all so awful that you must be withheld?   Are you to believe we were temporary? We are bad?    Are you to believe no one cares?    What could you have been told ?   Or are you currently being told?    Are you so afraid to ask can we call Nana and Poppy?  After all,   last we spoke you were begging to talk to Poppy but given the answer that it was too late ( at 7:30) and would call the next day .   The next day never came… maybe it was Elijah giving the thumbs down about not coming to stay at Nanas now that daddy was out of the army, after he asked to see his bedroom, or that you wanted to talk to Poppy and now that promise – to call, has turned into months.    He has not seen your faces or heard your voices for so long and what could be the possible reason you have been given?   What will be the effect of such action?    How far is this set of circumstances,  from the message of respect kindness and love that we as humans should create and live by?

Love letters to you both are meant to give you feelings of constant and sincere love and compassion.    Support of the emotions you may have, and are an attempt to say we hope you will one day be free to  know love to and from mom and dad is so important to healthy lives , and it is ok to love them as your parents and it is okay for you to still love and care for all the others in your heart.    For Nana and Poppy our love is unconditional- where ever your journey takes you the memories that fill the pages here are as real as can be.   They can show you the historical journey and in turn help your future.    They won’t change, and the past cannot change.    The today – The tomorrow – The hope- these are  what embody each and every letter written.   Love and respect you have for mom and dad is good,  and the life that is at this point your reality,  is, and has been chosen for you.   Love for all- respect for parents and still freedom to love or communicate with others in your family will be your right and free choice.   It will be a decision you can make with fact and documentation that supports or helps you understand a little better the dynamics that exist causing you this horrible divide.     The rational  that led to such decisions, and if the details of event have not been accurately depicted – they will be and you will then be able to better understand how it is possible to love and honor your parents and still have love and a place comfortable happy and like home inside when it comes to your grandparents.

When you are old enough to be independent in your actions, your thoughts and to follow your heart there WILL be NO choice for you to make.   You will not ever have to choose between talking to, seeing, and loving your mom and dad, and others you love who are not your parents.   These feelings are so important and must be protected .   We used to watch video of mom and dad when you were small.  We honored them and the service they were doing.  Day after day, moth after month, and now year ,  we hope for them to see that your happiness and balance – the importance of not alienating the two people who have stayed with you day in and day out for nearly 9 years,  is more important to seek your happiness and healthy relationships than it is to try to hurt!   We spent so much time teaching you about their love for you , the service and the good they were doing.   We helped as much as we could in the years of care we gave.  We shared with them every single moment possible to bring unity and closeness despite the distance.    We would not ever want you to change those values, principles that we lived with you – and would always support and want  love for your parents to be present .    What has happened to cause them to want this divide we may not ever truthfully know- we only have the facts that you can have when you’re 18 to get any kind of answers as to what or what happened so very long ago  to impact you both or influence  this matter.     What we can hope is that one day they will want you to feel loved, share in the love, experience the love , and have the balance you’re deserving of.     Something has clouded that for now and even if it continues, there will be a day where you can love, see, speak to us without ever having to choose between, and simply have  all those you love in your lives.

Today as every other day , we love your both , to the moon and back,

forever and for always,

XOXOXOXOXOXO

❤️Nana and Poppy❤️?

Long ago – doesn’t mean unimportant and forgotten .

Nana January 20, 2019 0Comments

 Dear Guillianna and Elijah-

We are almost to the end of January 2019 already ?   Time sure does have a way of moving forward.    Despite anything that happens time does keep going forward.   But long ago – will not ever mean forgotten.    Not for us.    The thousands of photographs we have of you two from birth thru all your lives up until last December are so precious to us.  They are the proof of truth and the reality of what happiness look like!   Where you spent your early years and how happy you were will always be an important part of who you are.    The love and support you have known are not a guarantee for future success and happiness but the memories are without doubt pieces of happiness that belong to you, to all you’ve touched in the years in the Mitten,  in an otherwise crazy world.    Moments that if kept special and pure in your mind can grow and blossom into all kinds of good and wonder.  These snapshots or glimpse of the past can translate Into positivity, joy, understanding,  and all kinds of other gifts for you both  a gifts that can be shared and that you will be able to pass on to others.  Even the hard times can be used to strengthen and build your character, to aid in teaching you both  to be resilient.    I know how hard that has been for us as grown ups these recent months –  so we cannot image how you’ve struggled .

We are forever grateful, we love you both …

There aren’t words for the love in our hearts and the amount of hope we feel for you and all of your family to be happy and healthy always .

We love you both to the moon and back –

forever and for always,

XOXOXOXOXOXO

❤️Nana and Poppy❤️?

Long weekends – are fun !

Nana January 19, 2019 0Comments

Dear Guillianna and Elijah –

The weekend is here and we are hoping it’s a nice long one for you since Monday is MLK Day-  and maybe your able to have some extra time with family.

These are the times where there is extra time from school and visits could have been planned.    We would have – will, and always hope that we can travel to see you, or to take you for a weekend excursion or simply dinner or lunch, watch you on an extra curricular activity- simply be grandparents – we wish daily for something to happen that allows for that change.    One day, what ever you’ve been told or feel you have to believe, will be cleared up and the images upon these posts will speak volumes  to you both.    For now they speak to us !   They fill us with loving memories, and the warmth of your laughter and happiness!     We love you both Guillianna and Elijah – to the moon and back ,

forever and for always

XOXOXOXOXOXO

❤️Nana and Poppy❤️?

Bash day Friday…

Nana January 18, 2019 0Comments

Dear Guillianna and Elijah-

Today is Friday and as you likely remember it is the day Sebastian comes to play !

He is now 2, he finds sneezing so funny – so much so that he fake sneezes to see what you will say, and looks for you to say “bless you “.  Super cute.    You would love to see him do this and how big he and Cole have grown.    Babies especially,  seem to grow so much and so fast the first few years of life.     The two of you have likely grown so much since you left too.     We truly can’t wait for the day we get to see you again.   We had hoped you’d be able to visit soon- and cannot give up hope that we will.     We simply take each day – one at a time and hope for the phone to ring or a photo to be sent.  Sending us a picture after the thousands of photos and videos we used to send regularly to your parents would be so simple and kind, yet nothing .    That in and of itself says a lot of who is the intended recipient of this personal dilemma.    You see to send an image of a baseball or dance or other activity you may be involved in hurts nothing, not sending one hurts us intentionally- after years of love and dedication the level of disrespect is beyond words.   And certainly not an example to set for small children.    To have deep and sincere respect for your mom and dad, for all they have dreamed of for you both, for all the hard work they put forth to give you a future, for all they hope and work towards in trying to be the very best parents they know how to be – you should always respect the people who love you like parents do.   You will not always agree with things your parents do however you should always know that children should love and admire the amount of love and dedication parents have for their children    Even if you grow to have different view points or beliefs, even if you travel a road different than the road planned, no matter what the philosophical differences people can have with their parents – they should not forget the lifetime of love, hopes and dreams, the laughter, the fun, the difficult times and the simple fact that a child who has respect for the person who provides or paves the way for the life you have.   In your lives you were lucky to have your parents working toward goals, grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins supporting and loving you both and your parents for all of your lives- actively up to last December and still from afar.

The weekend is here and we hope you have lots of family fun planned.   We expect some snow in the Mitten  – with usual weekend plans, we will see great grandparents, and likely visit Uncle David who is finally at home trying to heal from surgery.    In a few days your mom will have a birthday – so hopefully you’ll make her a beautiful day full of love and fun birthday wishes.    We are still banned from sending gifts or cards but our hearts will always be thinking of her, how that as her parents we have always helped her, tried to earn her love in return, we wish we could have cookies sent and we remember how she loved them.   And how she loved when you could share them with her – The whole idea of not sending you cards or gifts weighs heavy on our minds.    Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and you know I always loved to celebrate the day of love with both of you – as well as we did with our own kids!  If only you two will be allowed to see or have us actively in your lives as the grandparents we are before then- things would be so much better for everyone.    But no matter what holiday comes or no matter what day it is, be it a regular day,  any old day, special days and average days good days and bad,  one thing is certain-  YOU’RE BOTH LOVED AND MISSED VERY MUCH!

We love you to the moon and back –

forever and for always-

XOXOXOXOXOXO

❤️Nana and Poppy❤️?