Our family has had two major blows in the last two months.  My sister-in-law died on March 8th and now my father died on May 4th.  This has been a terrible year so far and hoping that things start to change in a hurry as we are drowning.

My father has been battling several ailments for the better part of 5 years, but it has been pretty bad for him the last 2 to 3 years.  He has been in and out of the ICU and has done stints of 4 and 2 months of medically induced coma.  He has been on a respirator once and had a trake twice.  So for him to have passed was a mericiful thing.  Though we expected this, and often even hoped for it to end his pain, I must admit that it is still extemely hard to handle.

My father is sorely missed as our relationship has stregthened throughout the years and he was probably my best friend.  We saw each other at least once a week and often frequented a baseball game, the movies, and always got together to watch the NY Giants on Sundays.   I can’t even drink a beer with out thinking of him and remebering the countless ones we shared over the years.

We had to explain to the Tornado, whom my father had dubbed the Tornado, that Poppy is dead and though at 3 years old she can say the words, she hasn’t grasped the concept.  We are taking her to the wake, though for only a short time, so she can start to understand the finality of all of this.  Poppy and the Tornado were extremely close and Poppy was a wonderful grandfather to her, and his 5 other grand kids, all of whom were able to say good bye hours before he finally succumbed.  Actually, he was surrounded by much of his family in the closing moments.  His four children, wife, two sisters, 6 grandchildren, son-in-law, and my wife, whom he became more like a father than merely a father-in-law too, were there in the last hours.  In the final moments his wife of what would would have been 47 years on May 6th and two daughters were there to hold his hand and I arrived about five minutes after the fact followed by my brother shortly after.  The man loved his family more than anything else in the world and was surrounded by them until the end.

My father was a hero in life and will be a legend in death, at least to me and the countless family and friends he has touched in his rich and full life.  Furthermore, to me, he will always be simply “pal.”

I love you, Dad.

Tomorrow is the big March of Dimes March for Babies.  I am so excited as the weather is going to be great, sunny and in the 80’s.  We are all gearing up for the 6 mile jaunt around White Plains, NY.  This is my first weekend off from work where they weather has been nice in over a month and after the long, cold, snowy winter we just endured some sun is much appreciated as is the heat.

It’s not too late to support our team, Team Samantha Michelle, in honor of our first daughter who was tragically born prematurely after 19.5 weeks. Please come and join our team and walk with us or simply donate to our team through the March for Babies tag on the right of the page. Please help support the March of Dimes efforts. We lost Samantha (lost but not forgotten), but were blessed with Mya who was born almost a month early. This was only possible by the research and dedication from organizations like the March of Dimes and the excellant care she received from her OBGYN and the NICU staff.

On April 26, 2009, March of Dimes is putting together the March for Babies.  The fam is participating in the little 6 mile jaunt around White Plains, NY, but I am sure there is an event going on near you.  Please support this wonderful event by donating to our team, Team Samantha Michelle, or by walking with us on what hopes to be a nice spring morning.  You can click to the right on the March for Babies banner for more info, to register, or to donate.  Please reach into your pockets and lace up your walking shoes.

On Tuesday, March 24 my wonderful wife and I went to Manhattan to attend a breakfast sponsored by Upromise and MomSelect.  It was a very nice and informative breakfast program that not only explained the Upromise program and the many benefits of the New York 529 College Savings Plan, but showed the company’s commitment to children by unveiling the largest piggy bank and  honoring the winner of the Tuition Tales video contest.

Tuition Tales allows anyone who may need money for college the opportunity to win a scholarship to cover some of the cost of their tuition. Simply create a 30-second video explaining why you need the money and you could be chosen as the winner in one of three categories. Be sure to check out the Tuition Tales site for more information.

The program was emceed by Maria Baileyof Momselect and included as  guest speakers David Rochon, President of Upromise, and Ellie Kay, author of Living Rich for Less.  The program concluded with a live performance from Caleb Shreve, who won $10,000 in the Tuition Tales video contest with a very humerous song he filmed for his 30 second short, followed by the unveiling of the giant piggy bank.

The breakfast was extremely informative as I have heard of Upromise and thought it was nice and all, but after actually taking the time to her about the real benefits of registering for it and how to link it to the New York 529 program I have openned my eyes and stopped thinking that I have time to wait to start saving for my 3 year old’s college education.  Actually for me the best part of the morning was talking in depth with the New York 529 representative and what over the nuts and bolts of the program.  How, unlike many other 529s out there, the New York 529 only requires a minimum openning deposit of $25.  Most require an intial deposit of $1000 or more.  There is a definate advantage to openning up the 529 along with registering for Upromise as in conjunction the 2 programs compliment each other.

Here I thought I was being dragged to some boring lecture by my dear wife, but I must admit I enjoyed the event and have been talking about it days later.  So much valuable information was obtained and now we just need to get into gear.