Not a Blueprint: It's the Shoe Prints That Matter

Life had many more obstacles and many twists and turns. In December  of 2010, some fourteen years after Dana had passed, Netti too became a victim of this diseased relationship. Her battle for life was short-lived. It was as though cancer had formed overnight and destroyed her within five months. But through the imprints of her shoe prints, Netti had found her way back—from whence she’d come. Keeping a positive attitude, she never lost faith and accepted her journey. Another balloon was released, and we sent another angel home. Netti, too, shall be remembered as a trooper. As a result, the cycle, the battle, the memories, and the shoe prints — they all resurfaced.

Mom, too, has found peace. It was her time to go. She’s in a much better place—a place where she could join her father, mother, sisters, brothers, husband, daughter, granddaughter, grandson, and many other relatives and friends.
(Let me revise that. I’m not sure which home her husband went to.
But I can only hope it was Heaven.) Anyway, Mom’s homecoming was on
Thursday, March 30, 2000, at 7:52 a.m.

Ora Bea, too: the day she met her maker was Friday, May 10, 2013. It’s
been said that if you can’t say something positive, don’t say anything at all.
And I’ll leave it at that.

My dear friend Mandy: this angel was removed senselessly by her estranged husband. Baylee removed this angel. The reason had been a selfish Baylee removed this angel. The reason had been a selfish one — he’d gotten fed up with her bringing the kids to his job and asking for child support money. It just goes to show that we’ll never know how or when
the shoe prints of a journey will end.
But we all bear gifts. And looking at all those angels who were sent to
shower us with their gifts, I can only be grateful to have known them all.
So, when a person comes into your life, don’t question their existence — just  embrace their presence. Take it from the Holy Father: they are there for a reason, and we must embrace that moment. It was a lesson learned through the shoe prints of our journey.

My relationship with Greg ended after. . . There was no unpleasant or apparent reason for our parting — I just needed to deal with my own inner feelings. At the time, there wasn’t room for anyone else in my heart, even though Greg wanted to be at my side. And I know this for a fact because Dawn told me what he had said to her: “I loved them both so much.  But I don’t know how to help her now. How can I help her, tell me?” Greg had said this and more as the tears poured down his cheeks, Dawn told me.  To know that he’d gone to Dawn and confessed his true love about us is so meaningful. And for that, I’ll always be grateful and will hold a place for him in my heart.

And here’s a twist for y’all: Renna turned the tables and had a fling during her marriage to Craig, and vowed to make Craig responsible for the child she’d birthed. But Craig wasn’t even the child’s biological father. That news was a lot to swallow! It’s been said that what you put in the wash comes out in the rinse. Or how about this one: what you dish out comes back at ya? Does this hold true in Craig’s case? You be the judge.

With China no longer a connecting force between us, Craig had moved on. He divorced and got a new family. After a few years, he retired and began living a comfortable, fruitful, and prosperous lifestyle in a small suburban city where he resided with his new wife and adopted son. Yeah, he’d really done it—went and adopted his new wife’s son! Anyhow, the little he’d done for his own daughter wasn’t that he didn’t know better. He just chose not to do better. That’s something Craig must deal with in this life. It doesn’t take much to be a seed donor, but it takes a real man to be a dad. Figuratively speaking, he’s only the baby daddy, and that label fits him well.

As for Larry, he’d hung in the circle of this disease and stayed until the
finish. That says a lot about him as a husband! For the love he showed my
sister Dana, he’ll always have a place in my heart as Brother-in-law with a
capital B. Larry eventually remarried and gained a new family, living in a
suburban city. He and his new wife had opened their hearts and decided to
raise all their grandchildren, Larry with his own two grandchildren and his
wife’s three grandkids. They united as one big family. Their children are very
loving, and they’ve recognized each other as sisters and brother. Brother in-
law still works the side-trade rehabbing houses, in addition to his day job.