The Yllescas Family: September 2009

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Happy 8th Birthday Julia!

Yesterday was Julia's birthday. It's so hard to believe my little girl is now 8. I remember 8 years ago being in labor and having to go for an emergency c-section after 25 hours (with NO pain medication--yeah, don't know what I was thinking!). I was completely out of it but mom later told me that Rob was so upset and scared seeing me in so much pain. As they wheeled me to the c-section room, he told my mom that he never wanted to do this again. Mom reassured him that once he held our little girl in our arms, it would all be worth it. She was right. One of our friends told me after Rob died that the day after Julia was born, they came to see us. Rob was in the hallway and told them that he already loved being a dad. And what a great dad he was! This weekend we had a birthday party for Julia. Our family came over and everyone had lots of fun. Thank goodness for our trampoline because the kids were on there the whole time--Julia even opened her gifts on it! lol Then yesterday after school, we drove out to Osceola. We stopped at the cemetary so Julia could release a balloon. It's so surreal every time I go there. I absolutely can't believe that Rob's spot is covered in grass and is no longer a large mound. It makes me realize just how much time has passed. He died 9 months ago today. Crazy. As Julia released her balloon, we watched it float high in the sky. When we looked away for a second and looked back, we could no longer see it. I asked Julia "Do you think Daddy grabbed it?" "Yep" she said. I, too, felt that he had. On the way out of the cemetary, Julia said to me in the most innocent and excited voice "Wouldn't that have been cool if the balloon had carried us up there too? Then when daddy got it, he would have said 'What a surprise! I wasn't expecting you guys here!' And then I would let go of the balloon and run to him yelling 'DADDY!!!!!' " This hit me like a load of bricks. I pictured how excited she would be if Rob were to miraculously come back to us. It made me so sad. But, then, it also reinstated the fact she knows she will see her daddy again someday. I know Rob is looking down so proud of his little girl. She is so smart and sweet.

Daddy's Poem

Her hair was up in a pony tail, her favorite dress tied with a bow. Today was Daddy's Day at school, and she couldn't wait to go. But her mommy tried to tell her, that she probably should stay home Why the kids might not understand, if she went to school alone. But she was not afraid; she knew just what to say. What to tell her classmates of why he wasn't there today. But still her mother worried, for her to face this day alone. And that was why once again, she tried to keep her daughter home... But the little girl went to school eager to tell them all. About a dad she never sees a dad who never calls. There were daddies along the wall in back, for everyone to meet. Children squirming impatiently, anxious in their seats One by one the teacher called a student from the class. To introduce their daddy, as seconds slowly passed. At last the teacher called her name, every child turned to stare. Each of them was searching, a man who wasn't there. 'Where's her daddy at?' She heard a boy call out. 'She probably doesn't have one,' another student dared to shout. And from somewhere near the back, she heard a daddy say, 'Looks like another deadbeat dad, too busy to waste his day.' The words did not offend her, as she smiled up at her Mom. And looked back at her teacher, who told her to go on. And with hands behind her back, slowly she began to speak. And out from the mouth of a child, came words incredibly unique. 'My Daddy couldn't be here, because he lives so far away. But I know he wishes he could be, since this is such a special day. And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know. All about my daddy, and how much he loves me so. He loved to tell me stories he taught me to ride my bike. He surprised me with pink roses, and taught me to fly a kite. We used to share fudge sundaes, and ice cream in a cone. And though you cannot see him. I'm not standing here alone. 'Cause my daddy's always with me, even though we are apart I know because he told me, he'll forever be in my heart.' With that, her little hand reached up, and lay across her chest. Feeling her own heartbeat, beneath her favorite dress. And from somewhere there in the crowd of dads, her mother stood in tears. Proudly watching her daughter, who was wise beyond her years. For she stood up for the love of a man not in her life. Doing what was best for her, doing what was right. And when she dropped her hand back down, staring straight into the crowd. She finished with a voice so soft, but its message clear and loud. 'I love my daddy very much, he's my shining star. And if he could, he'd be here, but heaven's just too far. You see he is a Marine and died just this past year When a roadside bomb hit his convoy and taught Americans to fear. But sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like he never went away' And then she closed her eyes, and saw him there that day. And to her mother's amazement, she witnessed with surprise. A room full of daddies and children, all starting to close their eyes. Who knows what they saw before them, who knows what they felt inside. Perhaps for merely a second, they saw him at her side. 'I know you're with me Daddy,' to the silence she called out. And what happened next made believers, of those once filled with doubt. Not one in that room could explain it, for each of their eyes had been closed. But there on the desk beside her, was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose. And a child was blessed, if only for a moment, by the love of her shining star. And given the gift of believing, that heaven is never too far. ---Author unknown