Days gone by...... big sister and little sister......

Spent part of last evening with Kaitlyn, 

looking back on photos of past years when we were all together.

We had so many good times.

It was a hot summer day..... hot and humid today.....
Reminded me of this warm summer night in downtown Binghamton......

2008..... the year before we knew that like me, 

you would also be diagnosed with breast cancer, dear sister.  
What a carefree evening with you, Laurie....

2 months today without my sister........

A year ago we were cruising down a river in Ghana....

I love hearing Laurie's laughter and seeing her smiles as her school recognized her career.

The school year is ending.....
You should be cleaning your classroom, doing grades, wrapping up annual reports, and making plans for end-of-the-year get-togethers on your deck with your friends from school.

Father's Day..... always spent at Laurie's......  but not this year....

Laughing, laughing, laughing.... I miss the laughter.....

Six months ago today was the Sandy Hook Tragedy.  I remember the day so well.  I was with you, Laurie, in Binghamton.  We were walking in to the Cancer Center at Lourdes.... and the television was on.  Before we sat down, we stopped to see what was on the news.   It was the shooting at Sandy Hook.  Instantly we forgot our own tragedy.....we forgot about why we were at the hospital.   We shared tears for the families.  The world just stood still as our hearts filled with grief.
That is how I feel each and every day since losing you, Laurie.  My heart is filled with grief..... there is a hole that can never be filled.

I remember this day so well.   We stopped at this bridge in Ghana and spent time looking at the river and the landscape.  It was a day kind of like today....not too warm.....not too cold....

Just a relaxing day traveling.....

The school year is almost over.... Summer is beginning.....
Last year we were in Cape Cod together....
This year..... we are just left knowing that we will never have these days again,,,,

Laughing....... always making us laugh....... always......
Look at Dick....he can't even look at the camera......
But I don't find much to laugh at anymore......

I hope Lilia will always remember her Aunt Laurie.....

Laurie and her girls....

Love lasts forever....

 

I ran across this picture today.... from 2008. 

It was the evening after my dad's 80th birthday party.  

Where did we all go after the party?  Back to Laurie's house, of course.

Here she is with our Uncle Bob, who was in town for the party, and our dad.
What a special day/night it was!!

Together in New Jersey

December 2011

My brother and I were talking about this song last night.....

How Laurie loved this song.....
Indeed, home was wherever we were all together....

Another hot hot hot summer day.  It reminds me of the day Laurie came up and we worked on re-screening my entire porch.  It was so uncomfortable that every time we walked by the pool, we dunked the top of our heads in just to take away some of the heat so we could continue on.  And, continue on we did, until the job was done...even though I would have quit hours earlier.

Today we are helping Ariana's family build a playground.  With every shovelful of stones, I kept thinking that Laurie would have been here with us today..... helping build the entire thing.  It seems like everything around our houses was made by Laurie, or has some memory of Laurie.

Every family gathering, every special day...... EVERY day has a memory of Laurie.