Hello Uncle The Joe.
Wow what I would give to actually be able to say Hello to you again. I cannot believe it has already been one year since we said good-bye to you. We miss you so much and still talk about you all the time. You would be proud of us and I am sure you are. All you wanted was for us cousins to continue with family nights, play games, hang out, grow closer in our friendships and guess what!? We Have! Thanks to you and your love for our family we are so much closer and really enjoy our family time. Moving home in 2016 was one of the best decisions I made in my life but one reason was because we made such great memories with the family and I was able to spend so much time with you.
We knew our time with you was getting shorter but we didn’t know when that time was going to be. We tried to cherish every holiday a little bit more, enjoy Sunday dinners, game nights and family field trips we now call Forced Family Fun. Since you left, I have realized how much you impacted the family. You were the center of our family gatherings and it hasn’t been the same without you. Don’t get me wrong, we have been making the best memories and laughing a lot but we miss you. We miss your voice, your jokes, and “forgetting” our names and getting us all mixed up. As kids this would crack us up and it still did as adults but we started to catch on to the game haha.
We miss hearing you tell each one of us separately that we were your favorite by saying, “don’t tell no one you’re my favorite!” (I know I was your actual favorite).
Uncle Joe I miss your texts about the pigs and giving me updates on how they were doing or saying I need to come visit. I would love getting random pig pictures sent to my phone and I love that we had our special bond over Pigs. I miss your loving and supportive comments on Facebook and all our conversations, especially the ones leading up to your death.
I’m not going to lie, your death has been a different experience for me. The months leading up to April 11th were hard. Family and Friends spent days and hours visiting you in the rehab center, hospital or at your house. We were able to enjoy our last moments with you which is a beautiful thing but still heartbreaking. Some days I felt anxious. Anxious of the feelings you may have been feeling. I can’t imagine the thoughts you must of have been thinking during those last months. Through it all, you continued to keep your spirits high, you still made us laugh and you still enjoyed your drawer full of cinnabons, apple pies and chips.
You were and still are very special to so many people. We were able to see this with your constant flow of visitors and the many people who attended your funeral. There were many days I was wishing it would just be me and you when I went to go visit, but someone was always there. Even though I would sometimes get annoyed, this was a wonderful thing. You had a huge community and You were so beyond loved.
Uncle Joe, I don’t think my brain has come to realize that you are actually gone. Or maybe it has and because I saw you as you took your last breathe, it can comprehend that you are gone. Maybe this year was not as painful as I thought because I was able to pray with you and be reassured that you would be going to Heaven and finally be pain free and feel nothing less than peace, love, and joy.
I am so thankful for your love and support through my whole life. I know you would’ve been there for my promotion to Sergeant, feeling so proud and I know you would be by my side through my World Race Journey. You would attend my fundraisers, wear a WR Shirt and always have encouraging words to give me, reminding me that it’s so awesome that I am following my dreams. I know you are with me in spirit but I wish you were here!
We miss you so much and today is not an easy day as we are reminded even more that you are not with us. Thankfully we have such an amazing family and are able to get together throughout the next few days to reminisce on your life and our memories we all have together.
As you asked, we promise to take care of your boys and to continue to have cousin nights and Forced Family Fun. We have a family like no other. We are loud, crazy Italian family but we are also very loving, welcoming and so supportive.
You will always be in our hearts and we will always be missing a link in our family chain. Uncle The Joe, We miss you and love you! I hope you are looking down on us with the biggest smile on your face!
Love,
Your favorite Pig Girl
