Terry, Aunt Sophie and dad began the day with mom. Dad brought mom a bouquet of flowers. He was very weepy last night. Mom took a prayer card from dad’s pocket and read it. Claudia greeted mom with the Easter phrase from the old country: “Christ is risen!” and mom replied with: “He is risen indeed.” We all gathered at the facility at 10 for breakfast. I made some of the favorite and traditional foods mom used to make at the Easter breakfast she held each year (Easter pie, French toast casserole, fruit…). Claudia and Terry set the tables with pastel table clothes, centerpieces… We all gathered together in the recreation room with mom and held hands and began our day in thanks to God. We thanked God for blessing us by keeping us all together and ended our prayer with the prayer mom and dad taught us from day one of life and recited before the beginning of each meal: “Thank you Dear God for the food we are about to eat. Please keep us happy, healthy, and Holy. Amen.” Mom was awake and fairly alert all day. Typically, after we have breakfast with friends and family, we would all go outside to play a game of family baseball. This year, the Easter bunny brought mom some MET individual player game cards. She spent a lot of time reading each one. Terry also showed mom books, games…on her NOOK. Mom was intently looking at these too. We joked, laughed, sang songs, and talked and spent family time together!! It was a blessed day.
Rie and Phil– always being together with family, great food, and talking. Easter would not be the same if we weren’t all together. In the past I always remember all the great wiffle ball games & all the great family pictures
Sammy- being together as a family. Even though all our lives have changed now that this has happened to Nonny, we are always going to be a family. Also that we will always be together and have fun and laugh no matter where life takes us. We all love you Nonny. What I love about Easter is all the whiffle-ball games and the way we all laugh with and at each other.
Gina- being together as a family. I love going to nonny and poppy’s house and being together. I love playing whiffle ball in the field at their house. Today we still played our annual game at the facility in the back and it was so much fun.
Michael- my favorite things about today is playing whiffle ball with Lenny, Jean, and Anthony Michael Gilman and sam and gina. Also I like playing my D.S. with Anthony Michael. The last thing I liked about today was playing with the silly putty.
Terry-one thing I liked from earlier Easters was when we go outside after we ate Easter dinner and played baseball. Because of my injured leg I could hit the ball but not run around the bases so little Anthony would run around the bases for me. What I like about this Easter is that mom is getting better and we are all spending it together, maybe next year at this time we will be playing baseball after dinner again. If not then maybe the year after.
Alyssa- I like being home with my family for past Easters. This Easter, I like being here with everyone J. And the food of course
John- My favorite part of past Easters was going to breakfast. Mom would have everything laid out perfectly and there was so much food you couldn’t stand it. I liked that everyone was together today. The food was great today and mom was in good spirits.
Ava- I used to love painting the Ukrainian Easter Eggs. This year I liked that we all were singing together.
Anthony Michael-my favorite past Easter memory was when EVERYONE plays baseball. Now I like everyone is nice with each other.
Claudia – I loved mom’s “snail rolls”! They were supposed to be rabbits but we always teased mom that they looked like snails. I have loving memories of my children as toddlers walking around with a snail roll and butter. I also loved how after the Easter Baskets were opened everyone looked so forward to going to Nonny’s for breakfast! I remember the day before Easter at 12:00 noon how we all went to mom’s for Easter Pie! I remember one year when Jean’s friend Joe showed up at Nonny’s for Easter Pie! Everyone was always welcome at Nonny’s. This year was just great being together with mom and eating some of the same food. What a blessing to all be together with mom.
Anthony (Big) – Anthony liked the family whiffle ball game. Today Anthony liked being with mom, sitting at her side and holding her hand.
Pop – Pop is so glad “that we are all together and that mom understands us, it may not be like Easters past but it is a wonderful day. God Bless my children for setting this day up.”
Jean-Is so happy that he got to share this day with everyone including Alyssa. It has been a really fun day and the Yankees are winning. Hooray !!!
Con – Love being with family. Thankful to GOD for ALL the blessings we have on this day and always. Having fun and laughing with our family and talking about old memories.
Aunt Sophie-I wish her good health and have her come home soon and God bless nonny.
Kathy – In the past, I always loved going to mom and dad’s house for the day—the breakfast, the whiffle ball games in the yard where we played when we were all kids, the dinner later in the day, hanging around outside relaxing and talking and laughing and being a family all together. Today, I am thankful that we are all together still. We had a blessed day. We are truly so lucky to have each other and the family we have. Nothing can break the bonds of love that we have for each other. As the commercial says, today was “priceless.”
When mom returned to her room, she was stroking Anthony Michael’s face and he and Sammy snuggled up to her and she mouthed, “Today was very nice. It made me very happy.” When I asked her, “Did you have fun today mom?” she mouthed, “Yes, How about you?” Claudia, dad and I stayed to feed her dinner or prompt her to. I left and then dad and Claudia tucked her in and asked her if she wanted to pray (mom mouthed YES), so they prayed and tucked her in as she fell asleep.
“I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for ever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Revelations 1:18
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