So it was one week ago that we all logged on and saw the Embassy reports, the deadlines, etc. And that kicked off a horrible, emotionally draining week for many, if not all of us.
I thought my week couldn’t get worse. It did. Yesterday, my last surviving uncle, who was also my godfather, passed away. He was a wonderful, amazing, gentle man and he and my aunt were the first people I told outside of my mom and brother that I was adopting. They were so happy for me. I am saddened that Matthew will never meet his great-uncle.
The past 10 years have seen many losses in my family. First, my dad died 10 years ago on April 11, 1998. I wanted to do a tribute post to him on that day but I just couldn’t. Suffice to say, he was the greatest man I have ever met and I miss him every. single. day.
In January, 2003, my Aunt Jeannie died after a long, valiant battle with cancer. She was my mom’s younger sister and way too young to have left us. I remember at her wake, my grandmother - who had been slipping into dementia - had a very lucid moment when she took my uncle’s hand and said “Oh Harry, what are we going to do without our Jeannie?” 11 days later, my grandmother joined my aunt. Five months after that, my uncle Harry joined his beloved wife and his cantankerous mother-in-law. I’m sure they’re still bickering with each other in Heaven. 
In November 2006, my uncle Jimmy passed away. My uncle never said goodbye on a telephone call without telling me he loved me. I miss him and I miss that. Matthew’s middle name will be James, and it is honor of my uncle.
My relatives all left us - imo - too soon. I will always remember them and never stop missing them. I wish Matthew could’ve known them. They would’ve adored him, the same way they adored me. I am forever grateful to have been blessed with my family.
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