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Jason after a Long Day at Disneyland
© B. Radisavljevic |
When you get to be my age one has accumulated many memories. So which should I pick for Good Memory Day? I think I'd have to go back in time to when my son was alive and sharing my life. He joined our family when he was five years old, and we'd known him as a foster child next door for the year before that. We met as friends who talked outside in the front yard, and then we began to invite him in. He was my friend before he was my son, and he always remained my friend. He lived with us for nine years before an accident took him off to heaven. This photo was an early one, taken after his first trip to Disneyland.
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Jason in Clown Costume
© B. Radisavljevic |
After he'd been with us about two years, while he was still a foster child, he dressed as clown for Halloween. It suited his personality perfectly, because he loved to make people laugh. I will always treasure this photo. He was seven when it was taken.
In the summer of 1985, after the adoption, we took a trip to Washington, D.C. We planned to spend a week there playing tourist with friends of the family who had moved to Massachusetts and didn't know Jason yet, since they had moved away from us before he joined our family. It was in Washington, D.C. that Jason met Abraham Lincoln.
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| Jason at Lincoln Memorial, © B. Radisavljevic |
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| Jason Pinning Me at Webelo Court of Honor, © B. Radisavljevic |
The next year, Jason moved to a new school and joined a troop of Webelo Scouts. I was very happy the night pinned me at a Court of Honor to signify that I had helped him to advance.
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| Jason at Valley Forge, © B. Radisavljevic |
When Jason was twelve, our family took a trip to Massachusetts while my husband was on a temporary contract to work there. Since we were homeschooling by then, we wanted to see all the historical places we could. It was a wonderful trip where we made many good memories. Jason always liked interacting with the docents and others playing parts in living history reenactments. Here he is interacting with a soldier at Valley Forge. If he looks a bit tired it's because we had a long ride that day and would go even farther -- all the way to Massachusetts with a stop in Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell before we finally reached our destination.
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| Jason at Point Lobos, © B. Radisavljevic |
The next summer, the summer before he died, we had the opportunity to take a mother / son trip that had several purposes. We wanted to provide the setting for earning two Boy Scout badges, and one of them involved visiting the state capitol. I also wanted us to see more of California along the way. It was a trip I'll never forget, and I'll always be grateful we were able to have the time alone. This photo was taken at Point Lobos.
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| Jason Panning for Gold in Sacramento, © B. Radisavljevic |
After a few more side trips, including camping at Clear Lake State Park, we got to Sacramento. We stayed at a motel along the American River, and Jason fulfilled a long-held desire to pan for gold. Unfortunately, he didn't find any. He still enjoyed the experience. I will always treasure the memories made on our trip. I had less than a year to make more, since after eleven more months, Jason was gone. This is the photo the newspaper used for the obituary.
Which good memory would you like to celebrate today?
It is both a sad and a happy day for you - sadness at your loss and happiness at the memories you have. I cannot imagine what it is like to lose a child. So sorry for you.
ReplyDeleteBill, I hope you never have to find out. But I'm glad I have the happy memories that make the sad ones seem insignificant now. Of course we'll always miss Jason, but so much worse it would have been to have never known him.
DeleteHow wonderful and how sad.
ReplyDelete